Payon's Darkest
by Ruthlyn
Summary: Once Payon's friendliest forest, evil now grows in the shadows...even in broad daylight. And it's not just the wolves. Sequel to Beginning of a Merchant's Dream.
1. Chapter 1

The crunch of footsteps, quick breathing, and the brush of clothing was all that could be heard. The sound of six bodies moving as one, through tall grass and thick foliage, listening, looking for something. The man in the lead motioned for the rest to stop. He stood motionless for a few moments, and the others waited, hoping to hear what had caused the leader to stop. None of them heard the slightest noise, save from their own hearts beating – no birds calling, no wind in the trees, not even an insect buzzing nearby. In truth, the forest had been silent for days now. It was as if all living beings had been avoiding this place. But not these people; they had a mission, and needed to follow it through.

Satisfied that nothing was stirring nearby, the leader signaled to the group to move on.

"Look at him, the way he's acting, you'd think we were at war or something." The whispered voice came from a man near the back of the group.

A woman near him quietly replied, "You have no idea what's out here. We might _be_ at war."

"You read the report, just like I did. They were all dead. The entire forest was searched. The party was very thorough."

"So you explain why townspeople heard howling in the forest this morning."

"I can't," the man almost smiled. "That's why I'm here."

They were silenced by a quick look from the leader. The group continued on amongst the trees and weeds for another fifteen minutes in silence, when more than one of them heard what seemed to be a low growl, coming from just south of them. Instinctively, all six men and women drew whatever weapon they were carrying. In the ensuing clamor, only one heard the similar growl from the underbrush to the east of them. And no one noticed the eyes watching them from the west.

* * *

_Two months later…_

"Behind you!"

"Oof!"

In a flash of wood and steel, the aggressor fell in pieces to the ground.

"You think we'll have a chance to sit and rest for a bit now?"

"We can at least try."

Two young adventurers sat in the wet, dewy grass, not paying much attention to the water soaking into their clothes. Though it was still quite early in the morning, the pair had run into more overly aggressive creatures than they'd expected. It was as if the elder willows had waited all night with no one to attack, and the first human that stepped into their territory received all their built-up energy.

The girl poked around in a small metal cart that was parked next to her, pushing aside the small, pink blob that had taken up residence in there this morning. "Oh, I completely forgot to buy pots in Prontera." She ran her hand through her shoulder-length, white hair in frustration. "What good is a merchant without a cart full of supplies? Do you have enough on you for today?"

The boy shook his head, glancing at a pouch at his side. "I've got a few red potions, my emergency stock. You know I don't really need them," he shrugged apologetically, "as much as you do." He brushed some brown hair out of his eyes to look at her then. "Do you need to run back to Prontera, Missy?"

"It's really not going to help. I used up the last of my zeny on these shoes," she pointed at her feet.

"And I just bought this manteau," he gestured to the cape hanging off his back. "Otherwise, I'd buy you some potions."

"And you just assume I'd let you?" Missy raised an eyebrow.

Almost ever since she and Naolin had met, they had sort of an unspoken dispute about money, in that, though they were both quite poor still, both always offered what little they had to the other for supplies or armor. And both always denied the other's offer.

"We can keep training for a while," Missy suggested. "When I run out of potions, I'll go back to Alberta. I'll have that man in the merchant guild make me some potions; he never charges me, since he's been a friend of my parents for so long. Goodness knows I have enough herbs and empty bottles taking up space in my cart."

Naolin chuckled, nodding. "Let's get back to work for now, then." Both stood up, and Missy pointed to a pale-colored, hairy pig. "First savage we've seen all morning. Finally we get a break from these elder willows."

* * *

Eight hours later, the concern about running out of potions hadn't even entered Missy's mind again until she used her last one after running for her life. Catching her breath, preferring not to look at the wound on her shoulder, she quickly reached into the bag hanging around her neck and pulled out a bottle of red liquid. As she drank and felt the all-to-familiar tingling sensation replacing the pain in her shoulder, she was surprised to hear Naolin laughing. She turned and gave him a questioning look, noticing that he had pulled out one of his potions to drink too.

"Now that was fun!" he exclaimed, still laughing.

Missy just shook her head, looking now at her shoulder to see how badly her shirt was ripped. "If you say so."

"And Beanbag slept through the whole thing," Naolin laughed even more, peeking into Missy's cart where the pink poring was.

Missy was really just glad to be alive, considering what they'd just faced. It had only taken a few hours for Naolin to get bored of attacking elder willows and savages for yet another morning. They decided to explore past where they'd ever been before. Missy was a bit concerned when they found themselves in something of a labyrinth, a worn path winding through a forest of trees so thick you couldn't see past to what was on the other side. After hours of exploration, they did find out that usually what was on the other side was just more of this dirt trail that seemed to lead nowhere.

The first little goblin they'd run into had almost looked happy, though it was merely hiding its angry face behind a smiling mask. It quickly proved itself quite hostile when it started after Missy with a mace-like weapon with a spiked ball at the end of a chain. Working together, she and Naolin were able to kill the small creature without too much trouble, and Naolin convinced Missy that they should stay here to train, that it would be better than killing wild pigs and tree monsters. She didn't usually like tangling with a new monster until she had a chance to research it at the Prontera library. Naolin generally tolerated the wait, though she suspected he didn't mind as much as he acted like he did. This is what he really enjoyed though, she knew. Just wandering, exploring an area that was new to him, and discovering the monsters there for himself. Missy rarely had such a desire to live life so dangerously, but she was beginning to trust his instinct about new creatures. So, for a number of hours, they killed goblin after goblin, feeling pretty confident. By the time they'd reached a small pond, almost a puddle, in a small clearing, it was safe to say they were thoroughly lost. Despite her growing concerns about being lost in this maze forever, Missy had to agree with Naolin that it was a perfect time for lunch. They ate quickly as they usually did, rarely feeling the need to linger over a meal eaten in the field.

For a while after lunch, Naolin and Missy didn't venture far from the small pond. They'd found that a lot of paths went out in different directions from this place. Naolin had reasoned that this must be the approximate center of the labyrinth and didn't seem to want to lose it until he had a good idea of which direction would lead them back out. During this time, a few more goblins with different masks and different weapons challenged the two, but to no avail. Missy was pleased to discover that if they were careful, they could even take on multiple monsters at once. However, when they spotted a crowd from a distance, filled with all different varieties of the creatures, she had little faith in their ability to defeat them all at once. Apparently Naolin felt the same way, because he motioned for them to come back the way they'd come. When the group suddenly became agitated and excited, Missy looked back to see a large creature standing in the center of the multitude. The new goblin wore an angry-looking mask over its face and a golden crown on its head, carried a short spear, and had a regal red robe down its back.

Missy hadn't even realized she'd stopped moving until Naolin grabbed her arm and whispered urgently, "Come on." She turned and followed him through the winding forest, just as the goblin leader grunted what could only have been a command to his underlings. As if moving as one body, the entire throng of goblins turned and moved after Naolin and Missy. Naolin tightened his grip on her arm and broke into a full run, giving Missy little choice but to follow suit. It didn't take long for Missy to notice that the particular path they were running along was one they'd already attempted, and had found nothing but a dead end. Naolin didn't seem to realize the problem they'd soon be facing, but Missy was looking around frantically for an option. As soon as she saw it, it was her turn to pull Naolin her way, and through the slight gap that was barely visible in the wall of trees.

Now, back in an open field, amongst more friendly creatures, Naolin pondered, "I still don't know how you saw that opening through the trees. All the time we spent trying to find our way around those woods, I never saw the slightest gap in the walls." Missy was even herself unsure herself of how they'd missed the way through, or of how she managed to find it in her terrified searching.

They were in a field south of Prontera now, near the edge of the Sograt Desert. Missy was about to head to Alberta for some potions, and she had a long walk ahead of her. Knowing her way and being more experienced had cut the walk time down considerably from when she'd first made the trip though.

"Are you sure you don't just want to go into Prontera and we can find you a warp there?" Naolin asked. "I'm sure we can scrape together the zeny for that."

"Not necessary, I don't mind walking. I should be back in a few days."

"Okay. I'll be here. Probably drooling over the wind swords I can't afford yet," Naolin chuckled to himself. "It's next on my list."

Missy just blinked at him, not moving or talking for a few seconds. "I guess I haven't fully educated you on the perks of being friends with a master blacksmith's daughter."

"What do you mean?"

"Come with me to Alberta. You make that effort, I'll tell my father how much you've helped me, and you'll get a wind sword."

"Are you sure? It's only been a few months since he gave me this fire tsurugi."

"All of my life he has looked forward to using his skills to help his daughter in whatever job she chose. Trust me, he'll be more than happy to help good friends of his daughter too."

Naolin smiled and accepted her offer, and the two started for Alberta, by way of Payon. On the way, Missy thought about the last statement she'd made, and her referral to Naolin as her "good friend". It was hard to believe they'd only known each other for two months. Since the day Missy became a merchant and Naolin had offered to help her train for a while, the two had been practically inseparable. For the first few weeks, Missy woke every morning fully expecting him to say goodbye, or to just be gone when she got up. Eventually, she got used to him being there, and really started to enjoy training with him. By now, she was finding out that he was learning as much as she was anymore. His almost unbearable arrogance had faded some, at least when they were alone, and she was finding him a bit easier to live with. In town though, or anytime there was…really anyone around…

"You might want to stick to porings, or better yet, go kill some pupas. At least they don't fight back." In their trek through the desert, Missy and Naolin had come across a young mage who was running from a flock of Peco Pecos. The breed of bird was particularly protective of each other, going after an aggressor who was attacking another peco nearby. The mage had managed to attract the attention of about four of them, which was three too many for her to handle. Missy had run up and smacked a few with her sword to turn them on her, and Naolin helped her finish them off quickly. The mage had gushed gratitude, which Naolin accepted by offering his "advice" about her sticking to easier monsters. As he walked on, Missy held back to inform the girl of the birds' nature before moving on to catch up to him. She dug into her bag, muttering how she wished she had a red potion or two left to give the girl, when something in the bag caught her eye and made her smile.

"You should have been nicer to her, Naolin. She has a lot to learn, but that crack about pupas doesn't help anyone."

Naolin halted and turned around. "Just because you—" He stopped and blinked, looking around quickly. "Missy?" Turning in a full circle, he called her name again. After a few seconds with no results, he seemed at a loss and yelled, "Missy!" even louder.

Missy was a little startled by the emotion his face betrayed. He looked worried. About _her_. She felt slightly sorry, _very_ slightly, about the small prank.

"I'm right here," she said as she became visible again.

"You—when did you learn to hide?" he asked incredulously.

His reaction was just as she'd hoped it would be, and she grinned widely as she told him of how she'd acquired it two months before.

"That's pretty slick," Naolin agreed. "It should come in handy sometime."

She nodded and resisted the urge to apologize for causing him any concern. "We should be going. If we don't want to travel through the night, we can stay the night in Payon. Or we can get to Alberta and crash at my house for a few hours. Either way, I can't get my potions until morning." By now, they'd continued walking, and Naolin shrugged at the choice. He didn't usually seem altogether concerned about where or when he'd eat or sleep next. Missy found herself wondering more than once if without a partner to travel with, he'd just end up slicing and slashing monsters out in a field somewhere until he collapsed.

"We can go straight through, get to Alberta quickly." Naolin nodded absently, and Missy knew the rest of the trip would be a quiet one.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time they reached Payon, it had been dark for a few hours, and so many mornings of early training were starting to catch up to Missy. She yawned as they passed the silent buildings, closed up and waiting in shadow for the coming day. There were a few other people out still, but most were either vendors who were half asleep or other weary travelers on their way to the inn for the night. Missy almost envied them, but she knew it would only be a few more hours before she would actually be sleeping in her own bed, something she hadn't been able to do in over a month now.

For most of the walk, Naolin had almost seemed to be on autopilot, in his own world, staring straight ahead as he numbly trudged on. Once they reached Payon though, he seemed to wake up some, and even requested some food from her cart. By now, Missy didn't buy all the food for the pair, they mostly split the costs, but her cart had become mutual storage for the two. She kept walking behind him as she dug around in her cart for some food, and almost ran into him when he stopped suddenly. He turned from the southern direction they'd been heading and turned to head east.

Missy questioned the route change as she handed him the food she'd dug up, keeping some for her, and dropping a bit down on the ground for Beanbag, who was now out of the cart and hopping along beside them. Naolin grunted a thank you for the food, but offered no reply about the new direction. If Missy hadn't been so tired, she might have pressed the issue, but she didn't feel it was worth the effort to get an answer from a boy who apparently had no desire to talk. Of course, she knew that she and Naolin were strong enough now that the eastern route was hardly more dangerous than the southern one, but it was a bit longer. And given the choice, she'd rather not fight off poison spores when she was half asleep. Now she just sighed to herself, knowing that he was giving her no choice. As much as she'd never admit it, so far Naolin had definitely acted as the leader of their little party. And for now, she preferred it that way, since he had been more practiced in fighting, and had definitely seemed to know more about the world outside of her small hometown. However, between her own experiences while training and hours spent at the Prontera library, the reasons that made Naolin the natural choice of leader were quickly diminishing.

As they left Payon through the eastern exit, the howling of a distant wolf caused Missy to shudder in the dark. Memories of her encounter in the woods months ago sent chills down her spine, and she quickened her step. She and Naolin headed into the swamp quietly, for the first time since making the trip two months ago. Back then, they didn't have to come back through. After staying with Missy's parents for a few weeks while Naolin helped her train near town, there came a point when Naolin felt they'd better find stronger enemies to fight. This inevitably meant returning to Prontera, which was made pleasantly simple by her father's connections. A visiting rogue who was a loyal customer of her father's was traveling with his brother, a priest, who generously offered Missy and Naolin a free warp to the capital city. They were happy to avoid the spores, which were a bit too strong for them back then.

When three poison spores jumped out of the foliage in the swamp now, Naolin and Missy worked quickly and carefully to cut them down. Both received a few bumps and scratches of their own, but nothing to concern them. Their contact with monsters was minimal once again, which made Missy wonder how dangerous this place could possibly be. By the time they reached Alberta, they both knew the sun would be up soon. They went quickly to her family's house and Naolin headed straight for a cot in a back room of the house that had been his home for those weeks they'd stayed here before. Missy headed to her room, leaving her cart out in the hall with a note on it so her parents would know they were there.

She was right, as she knew she would be. Sleeping in her own bed again allowed her to fully relax and sleep well, without even the slightest dream. With the intention to sleep no later than mid-morning, she awoke with the sun high in the sky. Glancing at a clock on her wall, she realized it was noon, and groaned. Knowing she was already later than she wanted to be, she took a quick shower and changed into some fresh clothes; she felt fully refreshed for the first time in a number of days. Emerging from her room, she heard voices in the kitchen and felt her stomach growl. She passed her cart and looked down, slightly surprised to find it conspicuously empty of a certain poring. She'd assumed that it had spent the night in there, its virtual home. Now she walked into the kitchen to find her parents there, happy as ever to see her. She gave them both quick hugs, and asked about Naolin.

"We haven't seen him yet today, dear," her mother replied. "But we have heard some odd noises coming from that back room."

"We felt that it wasn't our place to go back there," her dad explained, "but I don't really think we can just ignore it either."

Just as Missy was about to ask what noises they were talking about, she heard a soft thump from the back of the house.

"I--I don't really know if it's my place either," Missy said uncomfortably. When she heard the thump again, she conceded a little. "But I suppose I can at least make sure he's okay." She headed back towards the room as her parents watched from the kitchen. Closer now, the noise came again, and it sounded like it was coming from the door.

"Naolin?" she called cautiously. Despite the strange sounds coming from inside his room, she still couldn't help but feel bad if she woke him. "Are you okay?" A few more thumps, and now she was right outside the door. "Naolin?" Now she heard what sounded like a slight whimpering. She knocked lightly, still not wanting to disturb him if he was simply asleep. _Pretty odd for a sleeping boy to be making these noises,_ she thought. With her hand still on the door, when the next thump came, she could feel it against the door. _No way he's doing that in his sleep._

She turned the doorknob quietly, then opened the door about six inches. She was about to call for Naolin again when movement by her feet caught her eye, and she almost tripped over-- "Beanbag!" She giggled, then caught herself. Now that the door was open and the poring had been released from its cell, she heard another sound. A deep, rhythmic breathing. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable, as though she were somewhere she shouldn't be, and she pulled the door shut as quickly and quietly as possible. Missy walked back out to the kitchen feeling guilty of something she hadn't even done. She smoothed her damp hair nervously and explained to her parents about the poring who'd been causing the ruckus. Before heading to the potion maker, she informed her dad of Naolin's desire for a wind-enchanted sword. He nodded in understanding, and Missy grabbed her cart, then picked up a sandwich that her mom had offered her from the table. As soon as she stepped outside, she pulled a bottle of apple juice out of her cart and dropped it on the ground for the newly freed Beanbag to gobble up gleefully. She knew it would eat almost anything it was offered, but it definitely seemed to prefer apple juice.

"Come on, Beanbag. It's time to go see Grampa."

* * *

_The faces swirl around me in the blackness. Faces I used to know. They resemble memories. A distant past I wish I could forget. A recent existence that pretends to be my friend. Portrayed as faces in a mist. Mocking me with their painful familiarity. With my eyes closed, I'm alone, but no more lonely than with them. But now it's too quiet, too loud, too black. Now the movement has a beat to it, a steady rhythm. Even with my eyes open now, the faces have dissipated. The feeling has changed…_

_Clang, clang, clang!_

The sound was familiar. What was it? It had been some time since he'd last awoken to this sound. It was rhythmic, soothing, almost...melodiousSo much so that he almost let himself drift back to sleep. Almost. At least now he remembered what that sound was. Bramen, master blacksmith, at work in his shop. So much about where he was felt like home, which was a foreign enough concept to him. There was something about this slightly uncomfortable cot in this plain, small house. Something that made him want to be happy. Of course, that was not possible, not really, but he'd scarcely been nearer.

When he'd stayed in this house before, he marveled at how no matter how early he thought he was waking up in the morning, Bramen was already out in his shop pounding away on his anvil. For a man whose strength had been undermined by illness, Naolin could barely see how it weakened him. The steel was still like clay beneath his hammer, and the weapons he forged were spectacular. Glancing at his own fire tsurugi across the room, which he barely even remembered taking off last night, he realized that that was about all he'd taken off. He had slept fully clothed, and now it was past time for a shower.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Missy Kay.""Hello, Grampa." 

Of course, he wasn't her Grampa. In fact, he didn't have any children, much less grandchildren. Missy had just always known the old pharmacist as "Grampa", and even her parents knew nothing of the origin of his nickname.

"I see you have brought a friend with you today."

Glancing down at the poring by her feet, Missy chuckled. "Something like that."

"Hmm so, what can I do for you today, Missy Kay?"

"I was hoping you'd have time to mix a few potions for me."

"A few? Like last time?"

"Well…no…more, in fact. But I know it is a lot to ask, and I would certainly pay you the fee you normally charge—"

The old man chuckled and held up his hand. "No no, dear, not necessary. Your parents have been…good friends of mine over the years. I would never dream of charging them or their dear child." His gaze now held a look she'd never seen before in this man, almost one of deep sorrow or pain. A moment later, he was smiling and asking for a look at what she had for him today. To that she responded by pulling her cart over and revealing that it was full of red, yellow, and even blue herbs, and a plethora of empty bottles that had been rolling around in the bottom and building in number for weeks now. She grinned as he then pretended to groan at the task ahead of him.

* * *

The house was quiet. He remembered. It had to be around the time of day that he and Missy used to come back from training for lunch, at least on the days they didn't stay out in the fields through lunch. When they did come in, it was always past when Missy said both of her parents would have had lunch, and they were both back to work – her father in his blacksmith shop outside, and her mother vending on the street always near the shop in case her husband needed her help in the shop. Without fail, there would always be two sandwiches and some fresh fruit on the table and a note telling Missy and Naolin to help themselves. With a slight smile, he picked up the sandwich and apple next to the paper with his name on it. His eyes passed over an envelope with Missy's name, which he knew had to be about more than food, being that his sandwich was the last on the table.

He was unsure of what to do now; he assumed that Missy was getting her potions made now, so they should be on their way back to Payon soon. Nothing left to do but wait.

* * *

Missy stood and watched as the pharmacist mixed her potions. Well, "watched" might not be the right word. He worked with his back to her, grinding the herbs she brought and blending ingredients on a wooden table. There was no way to see past him, which made Missy wonder.

"Grampa?"

"Hm?" He didn't turn around.

"I've been thinking of how interesting your job is. It doesn't seem like many people know how to create potions."

Still with his back to her and still working, Grampa shook his head. "I'm the only one around here."

"Do you suppose you could teach me to make my own potions?"

That made him stop, but not turn around. "Why, then you would have no reason to visit me here."

Missy laughed a little, then said, "Really though, I would love to learn." The more she thought about it, the more she realized how perfect it would be. Even as a novice, Missy saved every single herb and empty bottle she found. She'd met plenty of people who thought it was worthless, but being a merchant in trade and in heritage, Missy knew the value of a zeny; and knowing how many potions she could go through in a day, less potions to have to buy from a tool dealer was helpful. In fact, now she was getting excited about this new idea. "I mean, really, I could make my own potions to use, and if I had extra, I could sell them. I'll bet I could even keep Naolin supplied easily, he uses so few—"

Grampa turned around quickly, which made her stop talking. "Missy Kay, I have to ask you to drop this matter." As she searched for a response, he dropped his voice and spoke in a tone she'd never heard from him before. "You have to understand something. I do not allow most customers to even be in the room when I am preparing their potions. When I was taught this skill, I was given specific instructions to not share it with anyone."

"But why? I mean, no offense, but I can't see how grinding up some herbs could be so difficult."

"The potions I prepare are fairly simple, yes. However, alchemy involves far more than this, and requires specific knowledge and some dangerous ingredients. I admit I do not understand the entirety of the possibilities, but even the minimal skill of creating these potions could lead to formulas that are more complicated. I am very sorry, but you will have to settle for continuing to bring me your herbs." With that, he turned back around to face his table. Missy didn't fully understand the problem, was unable to imagine the danger that grinding up a few herbs could cause, but she could see that there would be no discussion. Thus, she went back to _not_ watching the pharmacist work.

* * *

She walked back into her house later to find it deserted. Two notes lay on the table with her name on them. The first was in a handwriting she recognized, and she opened the envelope excitedly.

_Dear Missy,_

_How have you been? I am so sorry I could not find the time to visit you while you were back in Prontera. One would think an acolyte training in priesthood would be in the capital more often, as that is where the Sanctuary is. By now, who knows where this letter will find you. I trust your own training is progressing well. Worry not about your indecision; I am sure you will be able to choose your future course when the time comes. No matter if you select to forge or to fight, you will be an exceptionally talented blacksmith._

_Please pass along my regards to Naolin. You may not find him the friendliest companion, but as long as you can trust each other in battle, you have what many do not, including myself. I have been training recently with a quiet, yet powerful mage. We have had a few minor difficulties regarding our teamwork, but I believe that it is continuing to train with him that will progress me toward my job change the fastest._

_Your friend always,_

_Lena_

Since meeting in Payon, Missy and Lena had kept in touch through letters, always hoping to meet for lunch someday, but never seeming to connect. She would have to remember to reply the next chance she had to sit down and write a letter. For now, she could see from the second note on the table that Naolin had apparently decided to wait for her at the docks. She could imagine that he would not want to take too long to get back to training, so she put the letter from Lena away for now and headed outside to talk to her dad.


	3. Chapter 3

"Missy, you're just in time!" Bramen was holding a haedonggum, wiping the slightly yellow-glowing blade with a rag. "For our young friend."

"He'll be so pleased," Missy replied, thanking him for working on her request so quickly.

"Luckily, this sword was not far from finished already. Wind-enchant demands have been low lately; fire seems to be the most popular." As Missy took the haedonggum from her father, he held up a hand and proclaimed, "I almost forgot! I have something for you too." He handed her a tsurugi with a beautifully designed hilt. The blade was cool to the touch, and glowed a deep blue. "This one was made especially for you. Some day I hope to have made you a full set of elemental tsurugis. With this and the fire tsurugi I gave you the day you became a merchant, you are halfway there. Of course, we'll have to start all over when you become a blacksmith."

"We will?"

"You remember, child. Many of the blacksmith's battling skills are dependant on a mace or an axe. Both of these I can make for you, but while you are a merchant, I've always felt the tsurugi is the best way to go."

Missy was struck with a sudden feeling of love for her father, and fully realized how much he wanted to do for her. She stepped over and hugged him, said goodbye, then walked out to say goodbye to her mother.

She found Naolin where he said he would be, and handed him his new sword. He admired it for a moment, and then agreed it was time to head back to Payon.

As they headed out of town, Missy informed him, "Lena sends her regards."

"Oh yeah? How's she doing, is she ready to be a priest yet?"

"Not yet, but I think she's getting close. I'd love to be able to be there for the ceremony when she makes it."

"That should be easy enough to do."

Noticing the direction they were now headed in, Missy stopped and asked, "Hey, it's daytime now, we're going to go through the woods, right?"

Naolin didn't stop walking when he replied, "Nah, back through the swamp. Sorry."

"Wait, what's going on?"

He stopped now and looked back at her. "Back in Payon there's a sign blocking the southern exit. The path's still closed, I think it said something about the wolves."

"Whoa, what? They haven't taken care of that yet? Well, why didn't you say something about it last night?"

He just shrugged, "Didn't seem important at the time; there was nothing we could do about it."

"Sure, but still, you could have mentioned it." As she started walking again and Naolin followed, she could only think of that day in the woods. The fear she remembered caused her to shiver now; she recalled every moment, focusing mostly on the growling and snarling. For the first few days when she and Naolin started training outside of Alberta, any time they stepped close to the edge of those woods, she could hear that sound. Naolin told her she was just imagining it, but she was so sure there was something there. She would have thought for sure that the situation would have been taken care of, whatever it was. Somehow, knowing that those monsters were still in the woods, not far away, just felt so—

She felt something brush against her and screamed, jumping back a few feet. Ahead of her now, Naolin spun around quickly, drawing his sword.

"What happened?"

Missy looked down to see a light colored creature shuffling away. "I—I guess it was just that eggyra."

Naolin half grinned. "Well, for scaring Missy Kay, it must die." As he walked by her, he stopped for a moment. "Stay here, m'lady. I shall defend your honor." Missy couldn't help but giggle as he then proceeded to attack the eggyra in an especially aggressive, heroic manner. For all the detached and reserved feelings she got from this boy while they'd been together, there were moments like this that made him seem at least a little warm and personable. She couldn't help but wonder where he hid this side of himself the rest of the time, and most of all, why. She knew she couldn't live with him much longer without knowing about his past, but she also knew that he wouldn't be very forthcoming with that information.

Naolin finished off the eggyra, picked something up from amongst its pieces, and walked back to Missy. She pushed her thoughts about him aside and laughed as he bowed before her, then handed her a red herb while pocketing the other items he picked up. She nodded, thanking him for the herb and for killing her spook.

When they reached Payon, they were surprised to find a very large crowd gathering in the center of town, and up the steps that led to the castle.

"Have you heard about why we're here yet?"

"The story going around Morroc was something about monsters overrunning a forest."

"I heard they were like, impossible to kill or something."

Missy and Naolin walked amongst the chatting people milling about, curious about why they were all here. Naolin found the nearest guard and asked him what was going on.

"I'm sorry, sir. I can't really tell you much. You should be able to find a city official around here who can answer your questions."

After a few more minutes of searching the crowd, they finally spotted a man in a suit with a number of people gathered around him. He seemed to be trying to answer everyone's questions at once, and ultimately ended up throwing his hands in the air to quiet everyone down. He walked to the top of the steps and called for attention from the crowd.

"Please, everyone, quiet down!" Eventually the people stopped talking and turned their attention to the official. "I know everyone is wondering why they're here, and I'd like to give you some answers. We have a situation in a forest south of town. It has always been inhabited in the past by wolves that only roamed at night. Approximately two months ago, for reasons unknown yet, we started getting reports of wolves out in the daytime, as well as some that were particularly more aggressive than usual. We sent a group to clear them out, to make the path safe for travelers again. They appeared to be successful; however, a few days later, many citizens heard howling in the woods. As a precautionary measure, the path was closed again and another party was sent into the woods. Unfortunately, they returned with many injuries, but again reported that the wolves had been killed.

"This time, we chose to wait a few days before reopening the route between Payon and Alberta, and wisely so. Two days later, the howling was almost louder than ever. We do not know what the cause of this is, but we have not since returned to the forest. We felt the only way to continue was to recruit a larger force, which is why we sent the letters to the leaders of all of your class guilds. Every one of you will choose if you want to come with us or not; if you do, we will ask you to sign up on this sheet." He held up a clipboard. "Assuming we get enough people, we plan to head out very early tomorrow morning, and everyone from out of town will be fed and offered room in the castle to spend the night. Yes, son?" He addressed a priest near the front of the crowd who had his hand raised.

"I was wondering, doesn't anyone want to know why the wolves are returning? I mean, if we go in there and kill them again, what's to say they won't just be back in two days?"

The official responded, "The idea is to go in with a large enough force to clear out anything in the forest. We will not return until the entire forest, all the way south to the ocean, has been searched and cleared."

The same priest spoke up again. "So you just think that when the forest seemed clear but the wolves come back, that they were hiding further south?"

By now, some of the others were starting to get in on the discussion too, some telling the priest to, "Shut up and let's get to signing up!" and some agreeing with the priest with, "We should study the situation first, let us bring out a live sample."

The city official tried to quiet everyone down again, but to no avail this time. Finally, he just gave up and shouted over the crowd, "If you'd like to come along, don't forget to sign up!"

Naolin turned to Missy at this point and she knew what he was going to say. "We've got to get in on this. What do you say?"

_What do I say? NO!_ "Uh well…" She didn't quite get to that point before she got interrupted.

"Hey, guys!" An older boy in mage robes, reading glasses, and a pinkish-colored hat rushed over to Missy and Naolin.

"Julius! How have you been?" He looked like he'd had a growth spurt in the last two months. Now he was about a foot taller than Missy, and even stood a few inches taller than Naolin.

"I'm good. Are you guys here to join the fight?"

"We weren't originally," Naolin took the prerogative to reply. "But I was just thinking we should join up."

Missy wasn't so eager. "I don't know…I have a feeling we should leave this to the stronger, more experienced fighters. I mean, it sounds pretty dangerous."

"Oh come on, Missy. Look at all the people here. I'll bet you most of these people here are going to sign up for this; how can you go wrong with a group this big?"

Now it was Julius's turn to object. "Yeah, but that's just it. This is all wrong; we shouldn't be going in there to kill off the wolves! This is potentially an incredible discovery. It could be a whole new breed of monster for all we know."

"Please, some wolves are getting meaner and it's cutting off a route between towns; the only logical solution is to put an end to it."

"Look, I know they're not going to let us bring back a live animal to study, but the only way I'm going to even have a chance to figure out what caused this change is if I'm there. And I could really use some help."

"This is pretty important to you, huh?" Missy was starting to think that between the two of these guys, she was going to have little choice here.

"I may be a mage in job, but I'm a scientist by nature. Something is going on here, and I still don't think killing everything is going to end it. But your friend is right; my guess is that there will be a large group tomorrow. We'll stick together; I'm certain we'll be fine. And I'm sure Naolin would stay with us."

Naolin almost sounded annoyed when he replied, "Of course."

Missy closed her eyes and sighed. "Guess we'd better find that sign-up sheet then."

In the end, the total number who'd signed up for the fight came to 33, which were then split into two groups to best distribute the healers. Even still, the two groups were instructed to stay together. As promised, most of them were offered supper and separate rooms in the castle for the night. The meal in the dining room was a rather noisy one; most of the other people around the table talked excitedly about the day ahead. Getting her first good look at the full group, Missy noticed there was a pretty wide array of classes here. The only exception was her own class; it was represented solely by herself and a blacksmith on the other end. And she wasn't too sure about how well he represented it, being that he appeared to be getting quite drunk. She wasn't even aware that alcohol was being served, though she suspected that it wasn't, and that he'd brought his own supply.

After supper, each volunteer was shown to his or her room, and instructed that they were free to use the library, but any other room in the castle was off-limits. It was still quite early in the evening, and her room offered absolutely nothing to keep her occupied, so Missy immediately headed to the library. She had a feeling she'd find at least one person she knew there.

Sure enough, in a back corner sat the bookworm Julius, this time with no hat, revealing his spiky, green hair. He had a few books out on a table in front of him, but none in his hands at the moment, and seemed rather bored. As Missy walked over and sat next to him, he appeared to welcome the company.

"Not finding anything to your liking?" Missy questioned, gesturing to the books.

Julius shrugged. "They certainly don't have quite the collection Prontera's library has. Didn't really find anything worth reading."

"I don't know what you'd expect to find in a library this small anyway," Missy observed, looking around.

Julius chuckled, and the two sat in silence for a moment before she asked him, "So Julius, how's Mikayla?"

"Oh, she's doing well. She went back to Al de Baran a few weeks after we met you guys; we've written a few letters since then. When I decided to come to Payon to find out what I could about this situation, I sent her a message to see if she'd want to come along. Don't think she's going to make it."

"She has all night; she could warp in at any time, for all you know."

"True, but I can't even be sure she received my message."

"If you don't mind my asking, are you two related?"

"Indeed, we are cousins. How could you tell?"

"Something about the tolerating look on your face when she kept flirting with Naolin."

Julius chuckled. "She is a bit of a tease, I must say. I can only imagine what she'll be like as a priestess."

"Speaking of which," Missy changed the subject a bit, "are you close to changing jobs?"

"I am scheduled to travel to Juno next week for my sage test."

"Sage? I am not familiar with that class."

"It was a class created not long ago, so there are very few sages yet. It is a change I am very eager to make."

"Sounds like it."

"So how about you? Are you anxious to become a blacksmith?"

Missy had to think about that for a moment, and was slightly surprised at her own answer. "Not especially. I suppose the skills will be nice, but I'd prefer to not have to give up my swords for them. It is quite a ways off though, so I haven't really thought about it much beyond that."

"Understandable."

At this point, Missy was starting to notice that it was becoming remarkably louder in the library and looked up to see what the cause might be. Aside from the noticeably larger crowd in the rather small room, a group of three guys were standing in the middle, talking loudly.

One knight was standing with one foot up on a chair, apparently in the middle of a story. "So I was thinking, 'How the heck am I going to get out of here?' My whole party was gone except the priest, so I figure, as long as he does his job, I can take these guys."

The knight was interrupted by a rogue standing next to him. "Wait wait wait, you expect me to believe that you took on Orc Lord and his army of archers with nothing but a priest as back up?"

The rogue and another knight started laughing while commenting on how unbelievable that was, and the first knight fought for control of the conversation. "No, I don't actually, because I'm not finished." The other two calmed down, and the knight continued. "Well, the priest put pneuma under me right away, so the archers weren't much of a problem, but that Orc Lord hits like nothing else. The priest couldn't do nothing but spam heal on me, so I finally just said, 'Dude, teleport; I'm gonna use a fly wing.' So yeah, I waited until he was gone, then got my butt out of there."

This caused the rogue and second knight endless joy, and their laughter continued until the second knight, who was beginning to look oddly familiar to Missy, put a hand up and waved it a bit for attention. "Listen to this. A couple days ago, I was in the pyramids…"

Missy turned back around and told Julius, "I think I'm going to head back to my room. I have a few letters to write before I go to sleep."

They exchanged good nights, and as Missy left the library, she noticed Naolin sitting quietly near the door, apparently watching the three storytellers.

Back in her room, she wrote a reply to Lena, as well as a letter to Blackthore, remembering that she'd yet to respond to the last message she'd received from him. And though she'd slept in that morning, she found herself more tired than she'd expected, and fell asleep easily.


	4. Chapter 4

Her dreams were plagued by snarling, growling, howling wolves that night, and she woke up with a start in a strange, dark room. As she lay there unsure if she even wanted to sleep any more, for fear of the nightmare returning, she heard the howls again, almost sounding as if they were right outside the walls. She stepped out of her room, planning to head to the library in the hopes that there'd at least be a light left on in there. Passing a window, she noticed that it was actually near dawn, so at least she wouldn't have to wait long before the whole group would be heading into the woods. In the library, she went to the corner she and Julius had sat in last night and curled up on one of the chairs, hoping to rest her eyes.

When she opened them a moment later, she was surprised and a little confused to see a handful of people scattered around the room. As she sat up, she heard, "Good morning," from the seat next to her and turned quickly to see Naolin sitting there with a slight smile on his face.

"What time is it?" she asked, smoothing her hair with her hand.

"Around 7 o'clock, I believe."

"I really didn't think I'd fall asleep here."

"You've been asleep for a while now; I got here about an hour ago."

"You should have woken me up."

Naolin smiled again, a welcome sight. "There was no need, I don't even think we'll be heading out for another hour."

Missy excused herself to find a bathroom, where she brushed her hair and splashed some water on her face. When she came out, she found everyone heading to the dining hall for a quick breakfast, after which they were ready to head out.

* * *

The large group thundered into the forest seemingly in tune with one another. Swords clanged and tinged against armor. The howls soon began. Chills quickly fell across the group at the eerie sound, but they had a purpose, and they were undeterred.

"Are you ready?" Naolin asked Missy.

Missy pulled her tsurugi from her sheath casting a red glow on the ground. "Yeah, ready as I'll ever be." Missy also took a quick look back at her cart to make sure all her supplies were still there. For the moment, Beanbag had abandoned its self-adopted home, and was busy dodging feet to keep up with Missy and Naolin.

Another howl came. Through the trees, several pairs of eyes pierced the dark. Some of the group members turned in various directions, seemingly picking out specific targets. The priests quickly began casting aid spells giving various boosts to everyone's abilities.

Suddenly, from the group's right, a single wolf leaped forth, attacking a thief who was caught completely off guard. From the sky, a rain of fire began to pour on the wolf. Its fur singed, it turned to escape only to run into a wall of flames that quickly enveloped it.

"Hey! I wanted a shot at it!" complained a nearby archer, lowering his bow and glaring at Julius, who had just finished up the cast of the fire wall that had engulfed the wolf.

"I'm sure there will be plenty for everyone," Naolin muttered as Julius began casting on another wolf that had emerged from the woods.

By now, many wolves had begun to come out of the trees. The two parties had started to work together to kill them as quickly as possible. Naolin charged at one nearby and Missy went to help, careful not to get too far from Julius. He may possess some powerful magic, but she knew that it was necessary that he be left untouched to be the most effective. Unfortunately, the wolves seemed to be all around them, and some almost seemed to be attracted to people they could do the most damage to. When Missy heard Julius's cry, she ran back to find him attempting to fend off one of the wolves with his wand, and failing. She slashed at the wolf, hoping to draw its attention, and she was not disappointed. The wolf turned and she heard a low growl, which almost seemed to be coming from all around her. She shuddered and tried to shake off the terrified feeling that ultimately followed every memory of these monsters.

As her blade carved through fur and flesh, she heard Naolin call, "Oh geez, Missy, watch out!" She spun around to see three more wolves approaching her from behind, and could think of nothing to do except first finish off the one she knew was close to death. Just as she turned to do so, she was struck from behind and struggled to keep her balance.

"Missy, towards me!" Julius yelled, and she quickly ran to him as he threw up a wall of fire behind her. Though the wall pushed the wolves back, as well as obviously causing them pain, they kept pushing toward it, knowing eventually it would give way. Julius then started casting a spell that ended with a large ball of fire that he effectively threw into the middle of the cluster of wolves. All but one of them collapsed on the ground, and Naolin was swiftly there to finish the last one off.

Next to her, Julius groaned as he faltered and Missy caught him just as he fell to the ground. The weight she now supported highlighted her own injury. Before she could reach for a potion or two though, one of the priestesses in their party turned and cast a spell first on Julius, then on Missy.

"Sorry I didn't get to you sooner," she said with a nod of her head, which Missy returned. The priestess then cast a spell over their whole party to raise their defense. Missy and Julius now stood back up and set to work finding more wolves to fight. It was beginning to look like the situation was under control. A number of the monsters were being kept in the center of the group by knights, assassins, rogues, and a few of the stronger priests. At the same time, wizards stood around the outside, raining fire from the sky onto the wolves, and casting spells that hit the entire area at times. With the wizards were the hunters, firing arrows and sending their falcons in to tear at the wolves. Julius joined the other casters, and Missy and Naolin went to help a thief fend off two wolves.

By now, it was becoming obvious to many that the number of monsters was dwindling fast. There was excited laughter and chatter, combined with some cautionary warnings as some reminded the others that there was plenty more forest to search.

The first cry came from a wizard, followed by a grunt from a priest. Screams were coming from all around now, accompanied by a new chorus of growling and snarling. The members of both groups started scattering in all directions in an attempt to distance themselves from the newly appearing monsters, some only managing to run into more wolves.

The priestess from Missy's party who'd healed her and Julius shouted, "Please! We have to stay together!" This succeeded in bringing a few back, but even still, chaos was reigning.

Missy, Naolin, and Julius stood together, facing four of the monsters. As Missy and Naolin worked to keep the wolves' attention for Julius to work his magic, they were surprised to see two arrows suddenly pierce the skull of one wolf. As it fell over, they both turned to see an archer standing there, looking very pleased with himself.

"You finished one off; what do you want, a medal?" Naolin grumbled. "There's plenty more here; keep shooting!" The smile vanished from the archer's face, and he turned to attack another wolf. Missy rolled her eyes, and turned her attention back to the wolves as well.

Julius had dropped two of the remaining wolves, leaving only one now.

Missy called to him, "Go help some of the others now; we can finish this one off ourselves." Julius nodded and turned away, leaving them alone now. As this last wolf of the four they had been occupied with let out its final yelp, they heard a similar yelp behind them, followed by a terrified scream. Missy and Naolin spun around to see the archer on the ground, with a large blue figure on top of him. They both ran to help him, but Missy was interrupted by a smaller wolf jumping out of the forest nearby. She worked to fight it off, while keeping an eye on the situation nearby. Naolin was able to pull the wolf off of the boy, but the young archer didn't appear to be able to stand up.

"Hey!" Missy called to him. He looked over at her, seemingly in great pain, and she pulled a red potion out of her pouch. Thinking quickly, she knew it wasn't very likely he'd be able to get to her to take the potion. She also knew it would be unwise to turn her back on this wolf to get to the archer. He was still looking at her, and she could only think of one thing to do. She hit the wolf as hard as she could with the flat part of the blade of her sword, pushing it away long enough for free moment. Then, praying for a steady arm, she threw the potion to the boy, who caught it and drank it quickly.

Unfortunately, when the wolf came back to her, it was angrier than ever, and commanded all of her attention now, as well as the downing of a few potions herself. A falcon came from seemingly nowhere and engaged the wolf now, helping Missy finish the monster quickly. As the bird flew away, she saw a hunter looking at her. She bowed slightly in thanks for his help, and he saluted her before turning to aid someone else. Before she could check on Naolin and the young archer, she heard a cry from help in the other direction. She turned to see that the blacksmith she remembered seeing drunk at the dinner table, now appeared to be reaping the consequences of his foolish choice the night before. There was only one wolf near him, but the man looked pretty well beaten up already, and Missy saw no one else nearby to come to his aid, so she decided to help him. She pulled her cart along with her, noticing that Beanbag had returned to the safety it seemed to enjoy inside, and gripped her tsurugi tightly, preparing for more fighting.

* * *

Naolin found himself alone now. Sure that archer was nearby, but he'd be of no help, Naolin was sure of that. No matter though, he could handle this one wolf by himself. He was always the most confident in battle anyway. Sword in one hand, shield in the other, he was prepared for almost anything.

"Oof!"

Uh oh.

He'd tripped over what appeared to be a tangle of weeds in the tall grass. He managed to block the wolf's lunge for his throat with his shield and push it back at the same time, and then flipped over onto his back. As the wolf leapt at his face again, Naolin brought his tsurugi up and pressed the blunt edge of his sword up against the wolf's neck, keeping it from sinking its teeth into his neck. Now though, he was stuck. The wolf was pressing against his sword too hard for him to move it, and all of the weight of its body was keeping Naolin pinned to the ground. Worse yet, he was finding breathing harder with every gasp. As he tried to figure a way out of this situation, above the sounds of metal against teeth and claws, he heard footsteps running nearby. The weight on his chest suddenly lifted, and he felt himself being dragged to the right.

"Stay put," he heard Julius instruct him, and felt a blast of heat on his left side. He coughed a few times, and took a moment to catch his breath.

"I had it covered," he choked out, frustrated that he needed this _scientist_ of a mage to free him. Julius just glanced at him without responding, then began casting _fire bolt_ on the wolf. Naolin attempted to stand up, only to discover he had little strength in his legs. The wolf seemed even more aggressive, more determined than the first ones Naolin had helped fight off. It pushed against the flame wall that Julius had placed between Naolin and the wolf, seeming to ignore the pain that it had to be feeling. Just as Julius finished casting _fire bolt_, the wolf broke straight through the middle of the fire wall, and only stopped for a moment when hit by the burning streaks from the sky.

"Not good," Julius muttered, throwing up another fire wall just inches in front of Naolin, right as the wolf reached that spot. "It shouldn't be able to break through so quickly. Please tell me you can get to it before it does that again." Naolin had already backed up a bit, and was standing, with no small effort. Pushing aside the thoughts of pain that were poking at the corners of his mind, he positioned himself between Julius and the wolf. He once again took his sword and his shield and stood ready.

"Hey, you guys look like you could use some help!" A knight came jogging over, sword out, and stood right next to Naolin. He looked familiar. One of the story-telling knights from last night, he thought; Naolin's mind was a bit foggy now. "Step aside, kid. I got this."

_Kid? You punk…_ The words didn't seem to make it out of his mouth. All he could seem to do was stand there, still in battle stance, hearing the sounds of the battle around him.

"Naolin." He finally turned to look at Julius behind him. "Go check on the boy." The boy. The archer. He'd forgotten he was there. The kid was sitting now, or more like kneeling, on one knee.

"You okay there?" Naolin asked, offering the archer a hand up, which was readily accepted. He appeared to be in less pain than when the wolf had first attacked him. Most likely attributed to the bottle he was holding that now had only a little red liquid in the bottom. A name flashed in Naolin's mind. _Missy_.

"Julius!" Naolin found him still with that knight, who now had three wolves biting at him. They hardly seemed to be bothering him though, most likely not even getting through his armor. Julius was working hard to kill the wolves quickly, and the knight just seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. At Naolin's call, Julius looked over mid-cast.

"Have you seen Missy?" Naolin asked him. Just as his spell finished and one of the wolves fell dead from the flames, Julius slowly lowered his wand, his face clearly showing his answer.

"No."

Above the racket of the battle being fought all around them, Naolin clearly heard a loud, mournful, almost angry cry. He turned to head in the direction of the sound, stopping only to instruct the young archer, "Stay with them."


	5. Chapter 5

No, no, no! How did this happen? She had to get back to Naolin and Julius. Where were they?

It was that stupid, drunken blacksmith. He may have single-handedly caused the groups to lose the battle against the wolves. Missy wasn't even sure if he'd noticed her helping him. Either way though, after that wolf had died, the blacksmith had grabbed Missy's cart, swung it around in a circle to pick up speed, and launched it into the nearby crowd, hitting more humans than wolves. Whatever it was he was trying to do, she doubted he'd done it right. The monsters smartly determined that this was a good opportunity to regroup and at that point, even more came out of the trees around the two parties. It was as if there was an unlimited supply of these creatures somewhere; they kept coming in endless waves.

The most upsetting thing for Missy, though, was finding her cart almost empty, with potions scattered in the grass around it, and a missing occupant. She'd been about to start picking the potions up when an assassin hurrying by had pulled her arm, assuring her that they were not worth her life. She needed to fall back with the rest of the group. Telling herself that the poring was likely fine, just finding somewhere safe to hop off to for now, she was just hoping to get back to her friends.

The madness was climbing. Their two large parties had almost become many smaller groups now, all going in different directions, separated by the wolves. She heard her name called and spotted Naolin to her left, who she now headed towards. She followed him as he hurried past a few people still fighting and soon saw Julius ahead, with the young archer and the knight from last night who had looked so familiar to her. There was no time for talking with wolves right behind them. The knight motioned for the rest of them to go ahead of him, and somewhere in the woods around them, Missy heard a man yell something.

"Regroup?" Naolin questioned, obviously unsure of what he'd heard.

"Or retreat," Julius offered. "Either way, we need to head that way."

The knight spoke up from behind them. "I don't care where you go; just keep moving."

Julius glanced back to see how close the monsters were, and decided to widen the gap by placing a few fire walls behind them. A creaking noise in the trees above them caused the whole group to stop and look up. The sound continued, growing louder, until suddenly there was a deafening crack, and a large branch broke, falling to the ground in a rain of leaves. The group jumped back almost at once as it fell into the grass. Following it was a small pink object that landed at the archer's feet and hopped right into Missy's cart. The wolves were now starting to push against the flames.

"Hey, come on guys. Gotta go!" the knight yelled urgently.

"Evan, watch out!" Julius shouted, pointing down at the knight's feet, where flames were crawling toward him. The branch had fallen into the fire wall and was catching fast. Naolin took the lead, heading left, and the others quickly followed. Missy noticed he was limping, though didn't have much chance to mention it. With the fire spreading now, the wolves seemed to be spilling around it, so Naolin kept heading away. The few wolves that seemed to be following quickly met with a barrier of fire, or were frozen in place by Julius' _Frost Diver_. After a few minutes, the small group came to a path, once well-worn, but now looking quite overgrown by grass, weeds, and branches. They could still hear the wolves in the distance behind them; the fire must not have been enough to dissuade them.

Julius spoke from the back. "We've been going the wrong way. This is—we've been going south, deeper into the forest."

Naolin groaned as he replied. "I know, but we were lucky to get out of there at all." His groan was echoed by the boy behind him.

Now Missy spoke up. "We are not fit to be running around in the woods this way. If we can find somewhere safe, I can—"

"We should go back," the knight, Evan, interrupted her. "We go back, find a priest, he can heal these guys, and I can get right back into the fight."

"You have no idea what we might be going back to," Julius stopped him. "Maybe we should follow the path here toward Alberta, then go back to Payon from there." Only Evan objected to this suggestion, feeling that they were deserting the fight this way. They headed along the path, each one fully alert and prepared for anything.

For the moment, it was quiet. Missy preferred it that way. She felt that their talking and arguing could only bring more wolves to their location. Who knew how many there were still lurking around in these woods. She looked over at the archer, walking not far from her. He looked pretty bad; his clothes were stained with blood, though she knew the potion she'd given him would have taken care of most of his injury. But most of all, he looked scared.

"Hey, what's your name?" she asked him quietly.

"Quinn," he replied.

"How are you holding up there?"

He didn't answer right away, then shook his head. "I shouldn't be here."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The archer's guild leader was recruiting hunters to go. He said only a few who were still archers would be strong enough, and I was definitely not included in that list. But when I saw the amount of people who were coming, I thought, 'What harm could there be in going along?' I figured I'd get a few shots in, help out, maybe learn a little. I wasn't prepared for…that." He paused for a moment, and Missy could think of no reply. When he spoke again, it was very soft. "You saved my life."

That she wasn't expecting. "It was just a potion."

"It was more than I had."

"Yeah, I suppose so," Missy said, shrugging. She really wasn't used to gratitude of this sort, and didn't know how to respond.

"Guys," Naolin called back from the front. "Look." He pointed ahead, where the path they were on curved sharply to the left.

"Err…that's not right," Julius muttered, clearly lost.

Missy remembered enough of the map she'd seen of this forest once to know what had happened. "We weren't going south before. We were going west, and _now_ we've been going south. We're still pretty far from Alberta." Quinn whimpered slightly at that.

"I guess we just keep going then," Naolin stated. "Not much else we can do."

"We can go back," Evan grumbled. He was ignored.

However, when they were a few yards away from the bend, Naolin stopped, holding up his hand for the others to do likewise. He stood there for a few minutes, then walked back toward the rest of them. Speaking ever so quietly, he told them, "There are some up there, a few, I don't know how many. But I could hear them."

Working it out in his mind as he spoke, Evan said, "Ok, so we can't take this road to Alberta. You guys won't let us go back," he stopped there and glanced around at the others, getting no response other than the shaking of Julius' head. "So I guess our only option is to go straight off the road here, into the woods again."

Naolin shook his head. "I don't like that idea. These monsters rule this forest; it's pretty much saturated with them." The look Missy saw on his face was not one she saw often from this normally confident boy. He looked nervous, even scared. Between that uncommon fact, and the lack of her safety net of potions, she couldn't help but feel the same way.

"We don't really have a choice," Julius agreed with Evan. "Something tells me that most of the wolves are in the northern half of the forest anyway, so we should be okay taking a wide arc to the south."

"But we have to go by them; they'll see us," Missy pointed out.

"I'll freeze them, put firewalls up. It worked before."

"If there aren't too many of them."

"Yeah, well…so we run."

And run they did. At least, for the most part. Naolin limped, and Quinn sort of stumbled, and overall, they didn't move very fast. But every one of them, injuries aside, picked up speed when the path on the other side of the curve came into view and they saw the wolves. There were a handful of them, though they looked slightly smaller than the others they'd been fighting. Even still, they were just as mean, just as blood thirsty. As Missy and the guys hurried off the path and into the trees, the wolves immediately noticed them and ran for them. Staying behind the rest once again, Julius cast a firewall in front of the wolves in the lead, following that with a _Frost Diver_ on a wolf that looked to be heading around the wall, freezing it in its tracks. As Julius caught up to the rest, he found Quinn at the back, barely able to walk anymore, and half fallen on the ground. He put his free arm around him, while balancing his wand in the other hand, and pulled him up to help him continue on. Missy noticed this, and rushed over to help as well.

"We really need to find somewhere safe," Missy said urgently. "These guys need some time to rest badly."

Julius nodded in agreement. "But the only way that's going to happen is if we can lose these things." He cast another firewall behind them to hinder the advance of the monsters, then called, "Pick up the speed, guys; I'll slow them down."

Missy knew that Naolin didn't appear to be as injured as Quinn was, but the faster he moved, the more he limped. And as for the boy who was practically hanging off of her, he didn't seem to be able to walk on his own anymore. So now, she was just trying to keep moving with the rest of them, while supporting the weight of another for the second time today. _And what a day this has turned out to be. Come to think of it, I didn't want to come out here in the first place…_

Missy heard more firewalls being placed behind them, and followed close to Evan, now in the lead, as he came to the edge of a small drop-off. He stopped for a moment, and the rest of them joined him on the edge, looking at the ground below.

"Come on, this way," Evan instructed the rest, pointing toward a spot further away where the drop was minimal and smoother. They hurried down the hill and continued along the ridge as it grew higher next to them. Soon enough, they were in the shadow of a towering cliff. More importantly, it seemed they may have lost the wolf pack. There was a noticeable lack of snarling and barking sounds that they could hear, and Julius seemed to have nothing to worry about slowing down anymore. Missy was grateful when he came back over to the other side of Quinn and relieved some of his weight from her. The archer may have been young and relatively small, but it was almost dead weight. His eyes were open, which Missy took a small amount of comfort in, though he seemed to be fading fast. A few more minutes had gone by when Evan suddenly ran ahead and disappeared into the rock wall. It was only a couple seconds before he reappeared, whispering urgently for the rest to follow him.

"There's a cave up here," he explained as the gaping hole in the cliff came into view.

"Is it safe?" Missy questioned. The first response was Naolin slumping against the wall, and sliding into a sitting position.

Julius helped Missy put Quinn down as well. "It doesn't look like it goes very far back, so it should be okay for us for a few minutes. Here, let me, uh…let me find something here…" He trailed off as he stepped outside, and soon came back with a branch, the end of which he'd wrapped some sort of cloth around. He quickly cast a weak fire spell on the end of the branch, and held it up like a torch. He swiftly but cautiously walked into the cave toward the back and discovered that his guess was right, the cave was quite shallow.

Missy looked dejectedly at her cart. She was glad Beanbag wasn't lost, but she was fairly devastated about her otherwise empty cart. Fortunately, what was left in her cart could help out in this situation. She knelt between Quinn and Naolin, facing the latter for now. "Naolin, how badly are you hurt?"

His eyes had been closed, and he opened them slowly. "I think my ankle is twisted; it's not too bad. And my chest hurts." This being Missy's first chance to really get a look at him, she saw blood soaking through his shirt. "An orange or a couple of reds, I'll be fine."

"You have some?"

Naolin shook his head. "I hate to ask, but…"

"I don't have any either." The look on his face conveyed his confusion, which turned to shock and sympathy as she explained the reason to him.

"Oh Missy, I am so sorry. And you just had all of those potions made too, used up all of your bottles."

"Hey guys, I hate to be rude," Evan interrupted, "but is this really important right now?"

"You've got some nerve—" Naolin started, before Missy stopped him.

"I suppose he's right, we need to stay focused here." Naolin dropped the subject, but glared at Evan silently.

Julius seemed to feel the need to keep peace here, so he suggested that Evan keep watch for them at the opening of the cave. In the meantime, Missy talked to Quinn to find out about his injuries as well. He appeared to be wounded in many places, his archer uniform saturated with blood and sweat. When Julius came back over, Missy stood and informed him of what she was planning to do.

"I learned how to use basic first aid a while back in Prontera. It won't heal as quickly or as well as potions do, but it's the best we can do."

Julius nodded as Missy pulled some bandages out of her cart. She set to work on Quinn first, as he seemed to be the most critical.

"I studied first aid a long time ago, while I was still a novice," Julius informed her. "I'm a little rusty, but I can help."

"That's good, you can bandage Naolin up for me," Missy replied as she pulled back some of Quinn's clothing. "Does anyone have some water or alcohol?" Evan looked back to shake his head at her, the same response she got from both of the patients.

Julius, on the other hand, reached into his robe and pulled out two bottles of clear liquid. "It's just holy water – won't do anything for us without an acolyte, but it should still serve to clean the wounds." Missy took one bottle and thanked him. "I picked them up from a merchant who was trying to get rid of them. Figured I'd give them to Mikayla, but this is far more important."

Missy began gingerly washing the blood away from Quinn's body to find the open wounds, and reached back into her cart for the few herbs she hadn't made into potions, though only for lack of bottles. She handed some to Julius. "Grind them up a little, make a paste with the water, and put it on the wounds before you wrap them. It'll ease the pain a bit, and help them to heal faster."

As she began crushing a yellow herb into the palm of her hand, Julius knelt next to Naolin. "You say your ankle's sprained, right?"

Naolin looked up, seeing Julius next to him with the bandages and herbs, and seemed to just realize what he was there for. "No, wait, it's really not that bad. I don't need you to do this, really." He held an arm out to keep Julius at bay.

"Naolin, shut up and let us help you." The voice was strong and commanding. Missy could hardly believe it had come from her.


	6. Chapter 6

Naolin couldn't believe it either. He was normally not inclined to take orders from just anyone. Neither was he inclined to let someone treat him like he was too weak to take care of himself. But there was something in her voice. He lowered his arm and nodded in response to Julius' question about his ankle. Julius asked him to hold the torch so both he and Missy would have light, and Naolin obliged. With his free hand, he helped Julius pull his pant leg up and take off his boot. The ankle was quite swollen, but he knew it wasn't broken, which he was grateful for. Julius began wrapping his ankle, and Missy was busy taking care of the archer's injuries. Naolin pulled his right knee up toward him and rested the torch against it, leaning his head back against the wall.

The pain was bearable. However, it was unnecessary. Being bested by an enemy that was stronger than him was bad enough. But this was simply stupid. A loss of balance had led to his current situation, and he couldn't be more frustrated or embarrassed.

"Naolin?" He jerked his head up to see Julius staring at him, eyebrows raised.

"What?"

"Where else did you say you were hurt?"

"Uh, no, I'm set now," Naolin answered, holding the torch out for Julius while pulling his pant leg back down.

"Naolin!" She didn't look at him; she practically had her back to him. And yet…

"Yeah, I guess that wolf cut my chest up a little." Missy glanced over at him now, and he just shrugged.

"Okay, well," Julius began, looking for the best way to get to Naolin's wounds. "We're going to have to find somewhere to put this torch." Missy pulled her cart over, took the torch, and leaned it against the cart. Naolin slipped his coat off, thinking about how if he'd bought a full plate or chain mail armor last time he was in Prontera, he wouldn't be in this mess. He pulled his shirt up, revealing a bloody chest.

"You're going to have to take that shirt off," Julius instructed him. Naolin groaned as he did so, and then Julius washed away some of the blood, revealing a few scrapes, some large, dark bruises, and a couple of deep gashes. Naolin winced involuntarily as Julius cleaned the wounds more carefully. In the end, Naolin felt like a mummy, almost his entire chest was wrapped. But now he cringed even more when he saw where Julius' eyes had fallen.

"What's that?" Julius asked, confused by the spot he saw already bandaged.

"Nothing, it's just an old wound." Naolin quickly pulled his shirt back on, noting the many rips in it, from not only today, but from battles in the past. He was thinking it was time to get a new one. Julius was still looking at him; he didn't look completely convinced about Naolin's answer. Naolin reached up and touched his left shoulder, almost out of habit now. "Really, it's ok. It's from a long time ago; I guess I just forgot to take off the dressing. You should help Missy now; we need to get going soon." In truth though, he hadn't forgotten about it. He thought about it every day, about how weak he'd been, how stupid he'd been. He knew it made little sense, but he kept it wrapped, almost as if he was ashamed to let the scar be revealed to the world.

When he looked up again, Julius had indeed gone to help Missy with the archer, but now there was a new set of eyes on him. Missy looked a little confused, but her gaze also held a hint of something else. It was difficult to distinguish, and he wasn't sure he could believe it, but she almost looked concerned. He was struck with a somewhat foreign feeling he hadn't felt in hears. The idea that he could be starting to think of Missy as a real friend made him almost uneasy. Life was simpler when he was alone; no complications, no one else to think or worry about, this was the way he preferred it.

Naolin realized he was still staring at Missy, who appeared to be about to inquire about his old shoulder wound. Before she got the chance though, Julius brought her attention back to the young archer with a question of some sort. And he remembered clearly why he preferred life alone. Friends, true friends, tended to feel that to really be such, they needed to share everything with each other. That was simply not possible for Naolin.

He stood up now, and put some pressure on his ankle, testing the pain. He was pleased to discover that it was minimal; he could live with it, but pushed to the back of his mind the worry that any more fighting would likely produce less confident results. He walked to the entrance of the cave, out toward where the knight was keeping an eye out for trouble. He stayed back a bit though, not particularly wanting to talk to that moron.

"Hey, kid," he heard, and groaned in frustration to himself. "We need to make you a crutch or something?"

Naolin didn't even look at the guy when he replied, "I'll be fine."

"Alright, well, I just didn't want you slowing us down. You'd better let me take the lead from now on; we want the strongest we got up front."

Naolin finally looked at Evan, only finding himself growing angrier when he saw the arrogant smirk on his face. Before he could compose a response that would put this jerk in his place, Julius came out of the darkness of the cave.

"I think we'll be ready to move on soon. Quinn is taking a few more minutes to rest while Missy makes some potions real quick."

Hearing this let Naolin temporarily forget about his feud. "She's making potions?"

Julius nodded. "At least, that's what she said."

* * *

Missy wasn't really even sure herself. She had two bottles half full of holy water, and a few different colored herbs. How hard could it be? As far as she knew, potions were simply finely ground herbs mixed with water, so this should work. Considering the shape their little party was in, she felt she should at least try. She shook one of the bottles of her mixture, and looked up as she noticed movement in the darkness. Quinn was up and heading out into the daylight, a good sign of the improvement of his condition. And walking into the cave now was Naolin.

"I hear you're making potions in here."

Missy nodded, and held up the bottle she'd been shaking. "If that's what you want to call this." The color of the liquid was red, as expected, but it appeared to be a thinner consistency than potions she bought or that Grampa made for her. The most disappointing was the presence of dark chunks floating around that she assumed to be pieces of herb. Judging from the look on Naolin's face, he had the same opinion she did.

"Doesn't look too appetizing, does it?" He shook his head in agreement. "If they work like they're supposed to, taste won't be a factor. This is all we have, and in an emergency, would you be very picky?"

"Hey, you don't have to defend it to me. I know the value of a good potion, tasty or not."

The contrast between the dim torch light in the cave and the sunlight outside left Missy blinking for a few moments. She placed the two homemade potions, one orange, one yellow, into her bag. The group discussed their options for a few minutes before deciding to begin heading east, away from the cliff. It appeared to be their best chance of getting back to Alberta. As they walked, Julius eventually fell into step next to Missy.

"You did a great job with Quinn, Missy," he complimented her.

"Well, I'm no doctor. I just did what I could." She felt her face warming a bit and reached her hand up out of habit to smooth her hair.

"Even so, he looks to be doing so much better." Looking at the young archer now, Missy had to agree. He was not only able to walk without support, he was moving faster and almost seemed more sure of himself. She was also pleased that Naolin appeared to be in better shape as well. Missy could only hope that they wouldn't run into anything else they'd have to fight, but if they did, they'd need all the strength they could muster. She couldn't help but wish that some sort of healer had gotten lost with them.

"You doing ok?" Missy heard Naolin ask quietly. He was looking at her.

"I wasn't injured."

"That's not what I meant."

"I'm okay. Thanks." Missy noticed now that he still walked with a barely noticeable limp. "If you want to rest a little, you can sit next to Beanbag," she whispered, nodding back toward the near empty cart she towed behind her.

Naolin smiled, let out a soft chuckle, then shook his head. "Thanks, but I think I'll just walk for now."

"Suit yourself." He looked away then, and Missy watched him bring his arm up absently, habitually, and touch his left shoulder. Seeing this reminded Missy of many instances in the past that she'd seen him do the same, and she'd thought nothing of it. The first time she'd ever seen him do that was when they'd first met. When he'd told her about getting hurt in the fire. But that was so long ago, and she did not believe his line about simply forgetting about it.

Missy knew the time was approaching where she would have a decision to make. She could ignore questions she wanted to ask and desires to know more about this boy, knowing she could never be more than acquaintances, training partners, with him that way. Or she could put forth the effort (which she anticipated would be quite the effort) to try to grow a long-term friendship with Naolin. The question she had to answer was if it was worth that effort. Maybe the decision wouldn't even be hers. However this might turn out, the voices ahead of her now let her push these thoughts aside to focus on the current situation they still needed to find a way out of.

"We are never going to make it back," Quinn was muttering. At the same time, the other three were arguing over another choice. Missy could clearly see the problem. Another obstacle, this time in the form of a large body of water, which appeared to be a lake, that hadn't been visible through the trees that surrounded it. The choice didn't seem all too difficult to Missy. She didn't exactly feel like going swimming today…

"And we know for sure there are packs of wolves to the north," Julius finished her own thought.

"So we head south," Naolin concluded, ignoring frustrated sighs from Evan. He turned and headed that way without giving the knight much chance to object, and Missy hurried after him to solidify the decision.

"I didn't even know there was a lake here," Julius mused, staring at the water through the trees as he walked. "This is amazing."

He went on to say something about checking a map or taking notes, but Missy's ears focused on one sound now. A low growl, coming from the southwest, that she wasn't completely sure she even heard. All the same, she felt her pulse quicken. The sound grew louder; now Missy was sure it was there.

When she heard Evan call, "Wait up," from the back of the group, she knew she wasn't the only one who'd heard it. Missy's growing concern must have been obvious, because when Naolin turned around in front of her, he took one look at her face and lost the annoyed look on his.

"What's going on?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna put my money on more wolves," Evan replied, drawing his sword and looking around.

Quinn groaned at hearing that, and Missy fully understood his reaction. She turned to Naolin. "We aren't in any condition to fight those things."

"I don't think we're going to have a choice this time." He was looking past her now, in the direction she'd heard the growl. She didn't want to turn around. She just wanted to be anywhere but here.

"They're…smaller," Julius observed, with a hint of optimism in his voice. Missy turned around now to see a handful of wolves. They looked identical to all of the others they'd seen in the forest today, except they were about half the size. They were close, but they seemed to be more interested in biting at each other than noticing these intruders. At least for now.

"Naolin, come up here with me and help me get their attention," Evan took the lead now, seeming to relish the idea of fighting again. "Julius and--" he was clearly stumbling for a name here, "the archer, get back and shoot and stuff. And you," he pointed at Missy, "help kill them when we have full attention, but watch the guys in the back. If a wolf goes after them, see if you can drag it back here." He didn't wait for replies, though the wolves were starting to notice them and move towards them now, so there wasn't really time. Missy would have been impressed with his plan if she hadn't been starting to realize something. As Evan charged into the middle of the pack, drawing all eyes, and teeth, to him, pieces fell into place in Missy's mind. No wonder he looked so familiar! The terrible experience in Prontera with the dead branches – he was one of the knights responsible for it.

"We can do this guys," Julius said as he pulled Quinn far enough away from the monsters to be safer. By now, Naolin had joined Evan, and Missy waited for her time to attack.

* * *

Naolin hated to admit to himself how anxious he was to be working alongside this knight who, as much as Naolin already despised him, seemed pretty strong and competent. He watched Evan run into the middle of the wolves and made sure he was right behind him. He was fully confident they would win this fight with ease. It was their fight, their terms; they were in charge. After smacking a few of the wolves with is sword, he realized he knew a better way to make them want to attack him. He sheathed his sword and cast a spell that blew fire all around him, pushing back the wolves, but bringing them back to him with a new hatred for him. Naolin thought Evan looked slightly impressed, as he proceeded to cast _Magnum Break_ as well. It pulled a few wolves off of Naolin, but he knew the knight could handle more wolves than he could, like it or not. Missy soon started attacking the same wolf he was now hitting. He heard arrows thudding into the flesh of a nearby monster, and fire rained from the sky. The first wolf died very quickly under assault from Missy, Julius, and himself. He lost no time in turning to another monster that was biting and clawing at his armor. He heard another wolf die, no doubt attributed to Evan.

A bright flash of red exploded in the midst of the battle, followed by a chorus of yelps from the wolves. One did not appreciate the _Fire Ball_ it was hit with and broke from the group to head toward the new aggressor.

"Head's up!" Evan yelled, and Missy was already on her way chasing it down. He heard a few grunts behind him and was about to turn to make sure she was able to do her job, when she was suddenly next to him again. She continued attacking the wolf in front of Naolin, and he looked behind him to see the blue lump of fur between them and the other two. The likelihood that they would all survive this fight had just become a certainty. When one of the last remaining wolves took off and started running south and down a bit of an incline, as if running in fear, Evan chuckled. He jogged after it, and Julius moved to put himself between where Evan caught up to the wolf, and where Naolin and Missy still were.

Simultaneously, Naolin heard Quinn scream, and felt himself be knocked down from behind.

"Incoming!" Julius called, and Naolin lifted himself up to see Quinn lying under a wolf, kicking his legs in an attempt to get free. The wolf was even smaller, though not much, than these wolves they'd already been fighting. He took half a second to get a grasp on the new situation. It looked like only two new wolves, seemingly younger than the others. Caught them by surprise. The one that knocked him down hadn't even hit him very hard, but it had still knocked him off-balance. And here it came again, aiming for his throat. He kicked at it fiercely, and rolled to get back on his feet. Before he was able to get to the archer to help him, Missy was there. With an impressive swing of her sword, the wolf was off of Quinn and staring angrily at her now.


	7. Chapter 7

Naolin's attention was quickly drawn back to the two wolves that were clawing at his armor. One of them looked similar to the new one he'd seen attack Quinn, a little smaller, younger, than the originals. He raised his shield, blocking blows while trying to get some of his own in. He glanced over long enough to see that Evan didn't seem to have noticed the additional monsters yet, as he finished off the wolf that had attempted to flee. Julius, however, had turned around now and was charging up a cast in Naolin's direction. Soon, bolts of fire fell on the new wolf that was biting and clawing at Naolin. It stopped attacking, and for a moment, Naolin thought it was dead. But instead of falling over, it turned and looked in the direction of the mage who'd assaulted it.

Faster than Naolin could respond, it charged at Julius, knocking him back a ways, further down the hill. Evan was jogging past at that moment, coming to join the rest of them, and stopped to swing his sword at that wolf. It promptly fell over. Not surprisingly, Evan ignored the downed Julius and came to attack the wolf that was still on Naolin. Naolin glanced over at Julius, who was lying flat on his back, not moving, and then over at Missy, who had apparently killed the wolf that had attacked Quinn, and was now checking the boy for injuries.

* * *

"Here, try this," Missy offered Quinn, reaching in her bag for one of her homemade potions. She handed him the orangish-colored one. As he drank it, noticeably making a face at the bad taste, Missy looked over at the rest of her group. They were all alive, and Quinn was the only one who appeared to have fresh injuries. But she was struck with a frightening thought that the two wolves with the odd-colored fur had planned this attack. Waited for the one to run away, and for the group to split up, and then hit them when they were separated. She didn't know if it was possible, but given the things the wolves in this forest seemed capable of, she wouldn't be surprised.

The wolves were all dead now. Missy was almost afraid to move, for fear that more lurked, waiting to strike. Far away and down a slope, where he'd been knocked to, Julius didn't move either. It was more than fear, she knew it was. Her hand reached into her bag for her second potion. Quinn groaned beside her.

Missy heart sank when she looked at him. His wounds weren't healing. His face was pale; he almost looked worse than he had before he drank the potion. "I'll be ok," he said, seeing her reaction. "Just give me a minute."

"We may not have a minute," Evan said, coming over toward them. "We're in the open here, we should keep moving."

"Is Julius ok?" Missy asked, seeing Naolin now heading towards him. By now, Julius had rolled onto his side, facing away from the rest, and lay there still, propped up on his right elbow. Evan just shrugged, and Missy sighed and followed Naolin.

"You think there's something over there?"

"I don't know, we can't be too far from the ocean by now."

"Julius?" When Missy got to him, Naolin was helping him up, and they were both staring intently to the south. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Julius looked down as if to verify his answer, no fresh injuries. "Just took a little tumble, got the wind knocked out of me." With barely a pause, he continued quickly, "But look, over there in the trees."

Missy looked, and she saw what these two had been talking about when she got to them. There was a hint of a structure through thick foliage. All that was visible was a few planks of wood, but it was enough to make them curious.

Evan finally joined them now, with Quinn close behind, as Julius was finally standing back up.

"Well, everyone looks alive, what's the hold up here?" Evan asked, not even attempting to disguise his frustration. Julius pointed south, and Evan grunted in understanding when he saw it.

"Well, come on then," he started toward the structure without a moment's hesitation.

For once, no one argued. They all were curious enough to let it outweigh any worries they might have about what was through those woods. The structure turned out to be the edge of a small wooden bridge, crossing from the edge of the land they were on to a small island, thick with trees. There was clearly something in those trees as well, so the group continued onward. What they found was not what any of them expected.

"Baby wolves," Julius was the first to speak. "They're all over the place in Sograt Desert." The animals were fenced in on what turned out to be a small island; they were on the edge of the ocean. The trees were not as thick as they first appeared, but they made a nice barrier around the enclosure, making it completely concealed until you were on top of it. There were about 20 of the small wolves, some playing with each other, some relaxing or sleeping in the shade, and others coming toward the visitors curiously, looking through the gap between the boards the fence was composed of.

"Are they super-wolves too?" Quinn asked, clearly nervous. No one answered.

At this point, most of them began noticing the second bride on the opposite side of the island from the bridge they'd just come across. It lead further south, and onto what appeared to be another, somewhat larger island. Through the trees, Missy could see a single, small structure on that island, no more than a shack. Something didn't feel right. She couldn't put her finger on it, but Missy was suddenly very uneasy about being here. Beside her, one of the small animals whined. In a passing thought, she wondered when the last time was that these caged animals had been fed. She looked over at Quinn to see him looking pale and visibly terrified. She couldn't help but wonder how long the poor boy would last. If the wolves didn't get him, or her own potion, for that matter, he might just collapse from fear.

"Come on," Evan instructed.

"Where are you going?" Julius wanted to know. Missy knew. There was no chance he wouldn't want to see what was in that building.

The knight's response was to simply point toward the other island as he was already walking toward it. Missy expected one of the guys to protest, but none did. At least not until Evan stopped and turned around.

"You guys coming, or what?"

* * *

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Naolin replied. _This guy is going to get us killed_, he thought irately.

"You guys want somewhere safe, that's where we're going. Someone probably lives there or something."

Julius was shaking his head, but didn't speak. So Naolin did. "Out here in the middle of the woods ridden with these monsters? I doubt anyone's there anymore."

"Someone had to fence up these dogs," Evan reasoned. "Maybe whoever lives there is working to fix this problem, same as us."

Finally Julius spoke up. "I want to know what's going on as much as you do, but I think we need to just get to town. We do have some injured here, don't forget." Julius gestured towards the archer, as well as Naolin. He sighed.

"Well, fine then. You guys just stay here, and I'll go check it out." Evan was clearly not going to give in here. And no one seemed to have the energy to fight him anymore. "Be right back," he said as he started jogging toward the building.

The four left looked at each other for a moment, then started spreading out a bit, instinctively feeling the need to be on guard while they waited. Actually, make that three of the four left. Quinn mostly just stood still, head down, looking pretty well beaten. Missy said something to him quietly, and he nodded to her, walked over to a tree, and slumped to the ground next to it. Naolin knew Missy was really disappointed that her potion hadn't worked on the boy. Naolin wouldn't say it to her, but he thought Quinn looked worse after the potion than before.

Keeping his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword, Naolin turned toward the northern bridge they'd first come across, watching for movement of any kind. His muscles were tense, and he knew he was a little too on edge, which might cause problems. That movement he saw in the trees, for example. Was that in his head, or was there something over there? Naolin took a few steps further away from the rest, eyes intently watching that spot.

"Naolin?" Julius called to him, causing him to jump a foot. He turned around and gave the mage a questioning look.

"Something over there?"

"I don't think so, probably just the wind." That non-existent wind, of course. He turned back to look at the spot in the trees again, and was immediately drawn back by sharp cry from Missy. He drew his sword without a second thought and ran back to the rest.

"What's wrong?" he asked, seeing no new monsters attacking, no obvious reason for her alarm. She was standing next to the fence, looking at the wolves in the enclosure, with her hand over her mouth.

"They're not sleeping. They're dead," she choked out.

"What?"

Julius was there now too. "Oh," he groaned. He stepped closer to the fence and leaned his head over a little. "It looks like…like they've eaten those. Whoever put them in here must not feed them."

"Watch out!" Naolin yelled, grabbing Julius' robe and pulling him back, just as one of the baby wolves lunged at him. The mage fell to the ground with a grunt, and stood up quickly, dusting off his clothes. Missy backed away from the fence as well, looking very uneasy.

"Thanks," Julius said, and Naolin nodded.

"Does anyone else think he's taking too long to check out such a small house?" Quinn spoke for the first time since they'd found this island. Naolin had barely noticed that he'd gotten up and joined the rest of them.

"It has been a few minutes. Think we should go in there after him?" Julius wondered.

"I don't like that idea now any more than I did when Evan suggested it," Naolin shook his head.

"We can't just leave him, and we don't need to be hanging around out here waiting on him either."

"Yeah…I know," Naolin agreed reluctantly.

"Guys?"

Missy had moved away from the fence, and seemed to have recovered from the previous shock. "What is that?"

She was pointing right at the same place in the trees across the bridge that Naolin's eyes had been drawn to earlier. Something was coming out of it. It was definitely not a wolf. The creature was about two or three feet long, and four feet off the ground. Its body was skinny and a pinkish-red color. Its head, if you could call it that, was basically two huge, purple eyes, and something that Naolin could only guess was a mouth. Four long, thin, near-transparent wings flapped slowly, keeping the giant insect airborne. Naolin had never seen such a creature before.

"I have no idea, but it doesn't look like something we want to tangle with," was his response, hating this retreating attitude he seemed to be adopting.

"No, we don't," Julius said slowly. "We don't want it to see us at all. That's a dragon tail, and it's a very powerful creature. I don't think any of us could survive even one hit from its stinger."

"Then I suggest we find somewhere to hide, because I think it's spotted us," Missy warned.

Indeed, the dragon tail was heading toward the bridge, and not at any leisurely pace.

"I think our decision's been made for us," Julius said, already backing toward the second bridge, and the shack Evan had disappeared into.

The others agreed by following after him, slowly at first, then breaking into a run when the dragon tail reached the first bridge. When they reached the shack, Julius opened the door and ducked in first, waving the rest in after him. Naolin held back until Quinn and Missy were in, then followed, pulling the small, wooden door shut behind him.

They were greeted by complete darkness. Not a single ray of light shone through in the entire room, and there were certainly no windows. Considering that bug outside, Naolin was actually grateful for that fact. Except he couldn't see a thing.

Suddenly there was a whooshing sound, a loud sound in this small space. He blinked a few times as an orange glow circled around Julius, lighting up the shadows around them.

"I guess mages are good for something," Naolin said, only half joking. Looking around now, he was surprised to see that the building was really no more than what it appeared to be. They were standing in a small room with no furnishings, or really anything at all. Julius moved around a little, and his light followed him, and then they saw a door. It could have been a back door to the shack, though that seemed pointless and unlikely. Evan had to have gone somewhere, and if this door led outside, he'd have come back to them a minute after leaving.

Julius looked at him, then Missy, with a look that was to inform them to be ready, because he was opening the door. Naolin brushed some hair out of his eye, trying to calm his nerves, and knowing that it was useless. The mage turned the knob slowly, then opened the door to reveal—

"Nothing." Julius was obviously disappointed, and started to close the door.

"Wait," Missy stopped him. He left the door open and stepped back. She left her cart and occupant where she was and moved past him and into the small closet he'd discovered. And disappeared.

"Missy!" Naolin yelled, just as Julius's spell died out. "Get that light back!"

Julius recast _Sight_ in a heartbeat, and Naolin rushed into the closet to look for a clue as to how Missy had disappeared.

He felt a slight tingling sensation, a familiar feeling, and before his brain could even register it, he was standing in a larger, brightly lit room, staring at his friend.

"What the…" he couldn't even finish the thought.

"My sentiments exactly," Missy agreed.

Naolin hadn't moved yet; he was still trying to take in his new surroundings. As soon as he heard that short, high-pitched whine of a warp portal, he stepped aside in time to see Julius appear where he'd been standing. And shortly after that, Quinn appeared in the same fashion.

"Amazing!" Julius exclaimed. Naolin had fully expected that reaction from him. "There was some kind of invisible portal in that closet."

"I guess we know where Evan went," Missy said. "Well, sort of."

The room was larger than the one upstairs, but not by a lot. However, there were a number of doors. Some of them were marked with signs such as, "Office", "Laboratory", and "Quarters". One had a sign that simply said "Danger".

"Did he really go into one of those doors by himself?" Quinn asked in disbelief.

"Knowing that arrogant jerk, he probably went straight for that one," Naolin pointed at the door marked "Danger". He caught a look from Missy. He knew he sounded harsh, but he still couldn't help feeling that Evan was going to lead them all to their deaths.

"Good for him, but I'm not going in there." Quinn was pretty adamant about that fact.

* * *

"Personally, I'd like to check out that lab, see what this is all about," Julius said, sounding far too excited, Missy felt, considering the situation they were in.

"Right, but that's you," Naolin said, a bit distastefully. "This is Evan we're talking about. Remember? Egotistical, thinks he's invincible?"

"Naolin makes a point, though a bit severely," Missy spoke up, playing peacemaker. "If we're here to find Evan, we should go where he's most likely to."

"Yeah, and all I'm saying is that Quinn here is in no shape to being going into the danger door. So in the interest of not getting him killed, I'd suggest that at least he and I go into the lab." Missy could've sworn Quinn actually smiled a little at that.

"Split up? I don't know about that. We're safer together."

"Right, well, let's see what's in there, but I still want to head to the lab after that."

Naolin went first this time, opened the door cautiously, sword drawn. Julius motioned for Missy to go next, keeping Quinn right ahead of him, as he stepped in last. This room was a little dimmer than the first, but still was lit up by simple fixtures hanging from the ceiling. The group walked through a short hallway which opened up to the right into a long room lined with chest-high cages. At first glance, Missy counted about a dozen. Then she realized that what she was seeing was only half of the room, and on the other side of the cages furthest from her was another similar set. They were all empty, doors hanging open, a few of them knocked on their sides.

And Evan wasn't in the room.

"What was kept in here?" Quinn wonder out loud.

"What do you think?" was Naolin's response.

"I think we want to check out the lab now," Julius said.

Back out in the main room, the four were greeted by a surprise. It was Evan, coming out of the door marked, "Office".

"Hey guys, 'bout time you got here!" he greeted them.

Missy glanced at Naolin and noticed his hand, balled in a fist, arm tense. She put her hand on his arm and felt it relax a little with her touch. She knew he couldn't stand Evan, and at this point, she couldn't blame him. But the last thing this situation really needed right now was a fist fight.

"This place is huge," Evan continued. "I haven't had a chance to check it all out yet, but it looks like it's been abandoned."

"Where have you been so far?" Julius asked.

"Just in here," he gestured behind him to the door he'd just stepped out of, "and that one." He pointed at the door the other four had just been in. "Kind of a let down."

"I think we should check out the rest of the place then," Julius suggested. "This might be exactly what I came on this excursion for."

"I agree," Missy said. "Besides, it'll give that dragon tail enough time to give up and go away, hopefully. We can't get out of here until it's gone."

Even Quinn agreed with this decision, feeling safe for the first time in a while.

"Great!" Julius clapped his hands together excitedly. "Laboratory next then."


	8. Chapter 8

The lab was another large, brightly-lit room at the end of a short hallway. There were a lot of tables, some overturned, and papers strewn about all over.

"It looks like a disaster struck this place," Julius commented.

"Yeah, that's kinda what the office area looked like," Evan informed them.

There were still no signs of life to be found, at least not until Missy reached the back of the room. There were a small handful of cages against the wall, similar to those in the first room. Only there was something in some of these cages. It was difficult to say with any kind of certainty, but they appeared to be wolves. Now they were mostly just lumps of fur.

"They're dead," Naolin observed quietly, having just come to stand next to her.

She nodded. "What is going on here? Who on earth would just leave these poor things here to die?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. It doesn't look like they left of their own volition though."

"Oh…you guys are going to want to hear this," Julius called from across the room.

Missy and Naolin walked over to where he was, standing at one of the upright tables, looking at a pile of papers.

"What's up?" Evan inquired.

"The wolves. They made them."

"Who made them?" Quinn asked.

"I don't know, whoever made this place, whoever worked here. Some group of scientists. They were working with DNA and genetics to create a new breed of wolves." He shuffled through pages excitedly as he talked, reading and explaining at the same time. "They changed the wolves a little more with each generation; they were looking to make the wolves more aggressive, smarter, make them age faster, bear larger litters—"

"Let me guess," Naolin interrupted him. "A little less nocturnal?"

Julius flipped another page. "Yep."

"This-this is insane!" Quinn cried. "This can't be possible!"

"I know, but it is. This is incredibly sophisticated research. With every more advanced batch of wolves, the creators released them into the woods outside, partly as security, to keep anyone from finding this place, and partly to test what they were capable of."

The room was quiet for a few moments as this information sunk in. Missy had never guessed that this whole situation, this cause of her nightmares for the last few months, was purposely caused by people, by scientist, messing around in a lab.

Evan cleared his throat, startling Missy. "Well, as much fun as this is, I'm gonna go check out the rest of this place."

"Wait," Julius stopped him. "Those baby wolves outside, there's something in here about them. It was the most recent litter, and they were the meanest so far. They were too violent to stay in the cages, so they built that enclosure outside to keep them in until they were old enough to be released."

"But there's no one here to release them," Quinn said hopefully.

"No, but if they're as vicious as it sounds, and with the sped-up aging, it won't be long before they figure out a way to bust out," Naolin countered.

"That is if they don't kill each other first," Missy said quietly.

"Yeah, but we can't count on that," Julius said.

"No," Naolin agreed. "We need to go kill them."

Missy closed her eyes. She knew those wolves were brutal, deadly beasts, but she couldn't stomach the idea of killing such young animals, and fenced in, no less. When she opened her eyes, Evan and Naolin were already heading towards the door.

"Can you use _arrow shower_?" Naolin asked Julius. The archer nodded. "Come on then." Looking at her, he inquired, "Coming?"

She shook her head. "You guys don't need me, I'm going to stay here."

Naolin looked a little concerned, but didn't get a chance to voice any questions.

"Suit yourself," Evan said. "Julius, you know _fire ball_; you'll hit a lot more at once with that. You should come too."

"They may be strong, but they're still young," Julius replied. "You guys can handle it. There's a lot more here I want to read."

Evan was already to the door, and Missy heard him say, "Fine, but when we're done, I'm checking out the rest of this place."

Naolin gave Missy one last curious look, then walked out behind Quinn. Missy found a chair on its side, righted it, and sat down. It was the first time she'd been off her feet since the cave. Now that she had the time to just sit and think, she suddenly felt very hungry.

"Hey Julius," she said. His attention was focused intently on what seemed to be an ever-growing stack of papers in front of him, but he looked up at her. "One of those doors out there was marked 'Mess', right?"

He nodded. "It's been a long time since breakfast, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. I wonder if there's any food left."

"You know, I've been thinking about that. I mean, about how long this place has been abandoned. I don't think it could have been too long. I mean, they moved those wolves outside, and they're still pretty young. So with the sped-up aging process…"

Missy nodded in understanding. "But why _did_ they abandon it? I mean, it was obviously going as they intended, why just quit?"

"I don't know. I haven't found anything on that yet. I wonder what's in the office. I'm sure there's a lot of paperwork there too, but there's still so much to go through here."

"You want me to run over there and bring back whatever I can find?" Missy offered.

"Great! Good idea."

Missy went swiftly, not liking the thought of being alone in this twisted place, even in a room that had been reported empty. When she got back with an armful of papers, she found Julius looking remarkably more worried than when she had left him. She put the papers down on the nearest table and went to him quickly.

"What? What did you find out?"

"The—the wolves…they weren't the main objective of the operation. They took a predatory animal and simply heightened that nature. But like I said before, they were mostly for security and testing. No one would think much of it if creatures native to this forest just appeared to be changing in behavior. But they wanted to go further." Julius paused, reading more.

"Further? What does that mean?"

"They took a small, temperate species of herbivores and used the same research on them. Turtles."

Now Missy thought he must be joking. "Turtles?"

"Yes. It says here the first batch turned out to be even better than they'd imagined. At full size, they're ten times bigger than an average land-based turtle, incredibly aggressive, extraordinarily intelligent, and will eat anything put in their cages, seeming to prefer meat."

"We never saw any turtles out there. Where did they release them?"

"It says they haven't yet. However, it does mention that, like the last batch of wolves, they were concerned about keeping the turtles in cages long. It says the plan was to release them to the island, as soon as possible. But no mention of doing so."

"Island?"

"It doesn't say. But, you know, that dragon tail outside—according to my research, it's not native to this area. It's supposed to live in one, small place – an island way out in the ocean off the coast of Alberta."

"So, maybe they did release these turtles onto that island somehow."

Julius shook his head. "I don't think so. They kept pretty meticulous notes. And you know, I'm starting to doubt that they abandoned this place either. There's no way they would have just left all of this research here."

Missy was beginning to realize what the only other possibility could be, the only other explanation for why there was no one around.

Julius looked up at the wall, at a clock Missy hadn't noticed before. "Those guys should really be back by now."

"Evan said something about checking out more of this place when they were done. Maybe they went straight to one of the other rooms." She looked up and saw the look on his face just as she realized what she'd said. "Oh no!" The two dashed for the door, Missy being the closest. As soon as she reached it, she threw it open and barely stifled a startled cry when she almost ran into Naolin on the other side. She almost hugged him, she was so happy to see him, but caught herself.

"Where's Evan?" she asked quickly, seeing Quinn, but not the knight.

"He couldn't stand waiting around; he went exploring. I was going to go with him, but I figured we should let you guys know we took care of—"

Missy interrupted him. "Which door did he go in?"

Almost as if on cue, the door marked "Quarters" opened and Evan jumped out in a panic, pulling it shut behind him. He was bleeding badly from a large gash in his leg, and his eyes were wide with fear.

"What happened?" Quinn asked in shock. Missy rushed over to him, to help him up.

"Come on, we have to get out of here before they break the door down." She offered him help in standing up, which he declined by pushing her hand away. She sighed, thinking of how remarkably similar he was to Naolin sometimes, and turned back to the rest, ready to go back to the portal and get out of here right away.

"We might be okay here a bit longer," Julius was saying.

"What!" Quinn reacted.

"Well, look at these doors. They're sturdy and thick. I don't see them getting through any time soon. And besides, I don't hear them even trying."

Missy looked back toward the door Evan had come out of to verify that last bit, but what she saw made her furious. Evan was holding a potion bottle in his hand, a little bit of white liquid left in the bottom of it. His leg had stopped bleeding.

"You had a potion!" she cried.

"Yeah? I may be strong, but I'm not stupid. I always carry an emergency potion or two."

"You couldn't have mentioned that earlier when we were scrounging for water to clean wounds?"

"Like I was going to waste a white potion on one of you weaklings? It's the most powerful kind, you know."

Now it was Missy's turn to contemplate punching this guy. How could he be so egotistical and selfish? And rude! Her jaw was clenched, and while she wasn't forming a fist, she knew her arms were tensed up. After everything she'd done to heal up Quinn and even Naolin, and the arrogant knight had a potion that could have healed them fully 5 times over.

Julius was explaining further about the doors, and how there was obviously nothing beating on this one, and why they should be safe for a while, but Missy couldn't think straight. She didn't realize she was so obvious in her feelings, until she felt a hand on her arm. Naolin was standing right next to her, calming her down as she had him earlier.

"Later," he said quietly, looking closely into her eyes to make sure she understood. "I'll help you kill him later, promise."

She smiled a little and felt herself relaxing a bit. Of course he was right, this still wasn't the time.

Now Evan was saying, "They weren't wolves. Not even close. They were, I don't know, like…big…"

"Turtles?" Julius asked.

"Well yeah, kinda. Giant turtles maybe."

"Your pants are wet," Naolin pointed out.

Evan looked down and saw that he was standing in a puddle of water, and the legs of his pants, to halfway up his calves, were indeed wet.

"Yeah, I didn't really have time to think about it, but there was a lot of water in there." He looked at Julius who appeared to have answers. "What's going on?"

Julius explained what'd he'd already told Missy earlier. No one looked too happy about this new information. He then repeated what he'd just said about the doors to all of these rooms being solidly built. And Missy now noticed that the sound of monsters beating down the door Evan had escaped through was absent. She also noticed something else.

"Hey, my cart! Where'd it come from?"

"I found it out by the portal in the shack," Naolin smiled. "Beanbag looked lonely."

Missy had barely even thought about Beanbag since they'd first stopped in the cave. How many hours ago was that?

"So, if we all think we're still safe here for now," Julius seemed to be taking the lead now, and everyone seemed to agree with that statement. He continued, "Missy brought up a good point earlier. I'm starving, I'm sure we all are, and there's a mess hall here." He pointed at the door next to the one Evan had just came out of. "Let's see what's still good."

They found a pantry in the kitchen, adjacent to the dining area of the mess hall, still stocked with enough dry goods to feed all five of them, six if you count the hungry poring. They stayed in kitchen and ate quickly – partly because they were so ravenous, but mostly because they were anxious to figure out a way back to town. There was a little chatter, but it was mostly quiet in the empty room. It was the first one they'd found that didn't look like a tornado had blown through.

Missy was just finishing a piece of bread when she happened to look over at Julius. He sat there, mid-swallow, not moving, barely breathing, face white as a whisper. He was staring at the floor along the far wall. Missy followed his gaze; from her seat, she could only see about six inches of the floor, the rest was blocked by a table. But what she saw was enough. Naolin was sitting beside her. She touched his arm and pointed at the floor.

He jumped up quickly, almost knocking his chair over. "Oh, d-- what is that?"

"Looks like blood," she observed.

"What? Where?" Evan asked, not waiting for an answer. By now he saw where they were staring, and he jogged over, sword drawn. "There's a trail of it. Leads to that door." He pointed to a single door opposite the kitchen from the pantry they'd raided. He motioned for the rest to join him, not knowing what was behind the door. Missy thought he seemed marginally less cocky since his run-in with the killer turtles. They all came over to join, all except Quinn. Missy felt he was better off staying back anyway.

When the four of them were standing with two on either side of the doorway, Evan yanked the door open and stood back. Nothing jumped out, attacked, or even stirred inside. It was another closet, illuminated only by the light pouring into it from the kitchen. There were a couple of tall shelves on either side of the room, stocked with a variety of items including blankets, toiletries, and medical supplies.

Straight up the middle of the small room, the blood streak led to the back wall behind the shelves on the right. As Missy's eyes adjusted to the darker room, she saw a boot sticking out from behind that right shelf. And attached to that, a leg. She couldn't see beyond that from the right side of the doorway where she was positioned. But at least the boot and leg meant human, not beast.

From the opposite side of the doorway, Evan strode into the room, sword now sheathed, but with a hand still on the hilt. He kicked the boot, apparently assuming the wearer was dead, then jumped back when the man woke with a startled yelp.

The three still outside the room had a similar reaction, being taken aback by this turn of events.

"Who--wha--who are you?" the man wanted to know.

"We might ask you the same thing," Evan retorted.

"For pity's sake, Evan, don't be so rude," Julius chastised him, pushing him aside to stand in front of the man. He reached out his arm to help the man up. He appeared to be injured. "We found this place, through the portal outside. Can you tell us anything about what is going on?"

As the man stood up and was helped to a chair in the kitchen, he said, "You just need to go. It's not safe here. There are horrible monsters loose out there."

Evan chuckled sardonically. "You don't say."

They gave the man a few minutes to calm down a bit, and Missy brought him a glass of water, after searching for glasses for a few minutes. Julius started by introducing everyone, and asking the man his name.

"Garrett." He shifted in his chair, wincing visibly.

"Are you ok?" Missy asked.

"I'll survive. It's a lot more than I can say for my colleagues."

"Look, I read all of the research, I've got a good idea of what's going on. What else can you tell me?" Julius seemed to have lost his patient attitude, and just wanted answers now. The two took a few minutes to compare notes, which brought them to when the monsters broke out of their cages.

"It was the middle of the night; we were all asleep. Most of us. The separate rooms are impenetrable with the doors shut, we made sure of that. Someone must have been out of the quarters and had the door open when the monsters broke out. We're scientists; we had very few who could fight well, and most of them were wizards.

"It was a massacre. The room seemed to shake with _Lord of Vermillions_, _Storm Gusts_, _fire_ and _ice bolts_ flying all over. A stray _lightning bolt_ broke a hole straight through the wall. Ocean water poured in until one of our strongest wizards sealed it up with a make-shift safety wall. During the confusion, when even the turtles' attention was on the outer wall, I slipped out the door." Garrett lowered his head.


	9. Chapter 9

"I left my comrades, my friends, to die, and ran for my life. I came here, to the supply closet, and tended my wounds. I knew I could hide out here for a while; there's food, water, and medical supplies. I have no idea how much time has passed, I was in and out of consciousness for a while. I never thought someone would find this place, the forest was supposed to be far too dangerous for anyone to get this far."

"Is that why you stayed down here? You thought you wouldn't be able to get to town anyway?" Missy asked.

Garrett nodded. "I expected to hear the monsters beating on the door and walls trying to get out after they…were done in there, but there was nothing. I think it has something to do with the hole in the wall, like maybe they're waiting for the wall to dissipate so they can get out."

"Oh, that would not be good," Julius sighed. "You people have already killed enough innocent people, if those turtles get out into the ocean…"

"Yeah, so what are you going to do about it?" The scientist almost seemed annoyed with him.

"We'll finish your original plan to release them to the remote island. After that, we'll let the Alberta city officials take care of them, but at least they won't be freed into the ocean this close to land. You have to have some kind of portal like the one that brought us here, one that goes to that island, right?"

"Sure."

"Ok then, you can tell us where it is, and we will come up with some kind of plan to force them through it."

Garrett shrugged. "If you really think you can."

"Yes. I do."

"Heck yeah!" Evan agreed. Missy just knew this would end up being some story Evan told his buddies, how he faced a horde of vicious creatures and lived to tell about it. Much better than killing some wolves in a forest any day.

"So where's the portal?" Julius asked, eager to get started.

"It's in the one room with no sign on the door. Across the lobby from the quarters."

"Do you remember how many turtles were still alive in the room when you got out?"

"I don't know, maybe five or six? And they weren't fully grown yet, not that they're any less dangerous."

Julius looked at Evan. "Is that about how many you saw?"

Evan shrugged. "I didn't get too good of a look, but it sounds about right."

"One thing I don't understand," Naolin interrupted. "If the doors are impenetrable, how did these turtles get out of the cage room in the first place?"

The scientist looked at him for a moment, blinked, and just shrugged. "Guess someone left the door open."

Naolin eyed him suspiciously as Julius and Evan started formulating a plan to get the monsters to that portal and through it, with minimal contact. That last part was added by Julius; Evan didn't seem overly concerned with that aspect.

* * *

"And how do we make sure they don't just go right back to their ocean view when they can't get to us?" Julius was asking.

"We shut the door behind them," Missy suggested.

Naolin knew he should be helping them plan this out, but he couldn't help but feel like something was wrong here. He kept watching that man, and he was starting to act a little fidgety. It sounded like they had no place for him in their strategy anyway. The plan was basically to lure them and block their attacks, giving the turtles nowhere to go but into the room with the portal. Apparently Evan and Julius felt they alone should go into the room to draw them out, because they were the strongest, albeit in two quite contrasting ways.

"That's a great idea," Julius was saying now. "Right behind the door, as close as you can get. When we've provoked them all and emptied the room, unhide, shut the door, and run back into here. Just watch carefully. If you don't see that as an option, use the clip again without hesitation."

Naolin wished he'd been paying attention, but he was now. "Wait, you're putting Missy out there too?"

"Only for a moment. We need her."

"No, you don't. Let me do it."

"Why?" Evan asked with a clear tone of annoyance. "What's the difference?"

"If anything goes wrong, I'm stronger. I'm built to take hits."

"Uh no, we should let Missy do it," Julius insisted. "They won't even notice her, they'll all be so intent on killing us."

"Still, I think you should let me be out there." Missy was looking at him with an unhappy look, as if she was disappointed somehow. He didn't know why, and didn't have time to find out.

Julius glanced at Garrett, then motioned for Naolin to follow him. They stepped back out into the dining area and out of sight of those in the kitchen.

"I don't feel right about this guy. He seems cagey, like he knows something he's not telling us. I wouldn't be comfortable leaving him alone with just Quinn to watch him. I need you to stay in here with him while we're doing this. Make sure he doesn't try anything."

"What do you think he's going to do? If he somehow tries to screw this up, he'd die with us."

"I don't know…just keep an eye on him."

Naolin sighed. "Listen to me. If you get Missy hurt, I'll--"

The mage held his hand up quickly. "She won't get hurt. This is going to work. Just make sure Garrett stays put."

Back in the kitchen now, Julius announced that everyone should get ready to move soon.

"I'm going to go take advantage of that supply closet," Missy stated, heading toward the closet door, pulling her cart with her.

Evan and Julius went over the plan together, made sure it was as clear as possible, and that neither of them had any confusion. Naolin heard more of it this time, not that it mattered if he knew any of it or not. After they were sure they had the attention of all of the turtles, and the door back into their ocean-view room was closed, they were going to run to the nearest corner in the room and Julius was going to cast his own _safety wall_ around them, barring the monsters from reaching them. They intended to entice the creatures through the portal with some sort of bait behind it. It did sound like a good plan, as long as Julius's magic held up. But Naolin knew he was an experienced mage, and that he wouldn't suggest this if he didn't think it would work.

Garrett was watching Julius and Evan with narrowed eyes. Naolin knew exactly what Julius had meant about feeling uncomfortable about this guy. He felt it too. He had no idea what the guy might try to do, or why, but he knew he wouldn't succeed. Not if he had anything to say about it.

Missy walked out of the closet smiling; Beanbag hopped beside her. "It's no tool dealer, but it'll do."

"What's that?" Naolin inquired.

She pulled her cart up in front of her to show him what she'd picked up. "More bandages, a couple of bottles of alcohol, and the best part." She reached into her bag and pulled something out to show him. "Red potions. There were three of them behind some of this other stuff on a shelf in there. I hope we don't need them, but we have them just in case. Well, two of them anyway. But I'm going to make sure Quinn is ok before we attempt this." She walked over to the archer and offered him the potion, to heal his most recent injury, which she knew the potion she'd made hadn't helped at all. He held up a hand and pulled the collar of his shirt down a little to reveal a partially healed wound.

"The potion worked?" she asked in amazement.

"A little, over time," he replied smiling a little. "Save the potion; I'm not going to be in any danger anyway. You guys might need those."

Missy looked at Naolin with a triumphant smile, and he couldn't help but return it. He knew this meant a lot to her.

"Let's get this set up," Evan instructed, apparently deciding it was time for him to take the lead again. He walked out into the dining area, and almost everyone followed. Missy was still in the kitchen, and Naolin saw her pick up a leftover piece of bread and drop it on the floor. When Beanbag went over to swallow it up, she quickly followed the rest through the door and closed it behind her. Evan continued out into the entry room. Missy left her cart by the door and followed, and Quinn walked over to the nearest chair and sat down.

Julius stopped and turned to face Naolin. "We'll let you know when we are going. Just don't let that guy out of your sight."

Naolin nodded. "Good luck."

* * *

Julius walked out of the mess hall and looked around for a minute. Evan was already standing in front of the door with no sign, and was just opening it. It was a small room, about the size of the supply closet, but without shelves. There was indeed a portal inside, only this one wasn't invisible like the one that had brought them here. It also was not emitting a constant, high-pitched whine like most portals Missy had seen.

"What were we thinking about for bait?" Evan asked.

Julius glanced at Missy, then replied, "A fresh wolf carcass."

Evan's grin seemed a little twisted to Missy. "Right."

After he'd retrieved it and they'd placed it behind the portal, Julius opened the door to the mess hall to let the rest know they were getting ready to go. He and Evan stood in front of the door to the scientists' quarters. Julius nodded at Missy, who took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Once again she felt that tingling sensation throughout her entire body, which meant she was hidden from sight.

"Ready?" Evan asked, drawing his sword. Julius's response was to open the door and step inside.

* * *

Naolin watched the scientist grow more and more anxious by the second. He made sure he was between Garrett and the door, never taking an eye off the man. When he started walking toward Naolin, he put his hand on his sword.

"Just stay there," Naolin told him. The man didn't stop. Naolin drew his sword and held it at his side. "Why don't we try again? Stop moving."

"Imbecile," Garrett growled. He sounded like a completely different person. "You think I'll let you ruin everything?" Naolin didn't respond. He'd known the scientist was hiding something, but he couldn't guess what. "You can't stop me. Step aside." Garrett took two more steps toward Naolin, who held up his sword and placed the tip against Garrett's chest. Despite everything, he didn't know if he could use his weapon to kill a human being, but he couldn't let him go either.

As if reading his mind, Garrett sneered, "You won't kill me. I, however, shall be quite pleased to crush your skull."

"You let the monsters out, didn't you?" Naolin guessed. "You killed all of those men. Why?"

Garrett stared at him a moment, then cocked his head. "I hired them to do my work; they defied me."

"You set all of this up?"

"The beasts were never meant to be released somewhere _safe_," he scoffed. "What would be the purpose of that? When those idiots realized how dangerous the beasts were, they thought they could go against my order, and found that remote isle. I thought it quite fitting that they be the first humans to be torn apart by their own creations. I only stayed to make sure the beasts made it through the crack in the wall and into the ocean. Despite my power, even I am no match for them. And now you and your comrades think you will be the ones to stop me?" The man chuckled sadistically.

Naolin caught that word that he used so disdainfully. "Humans." Which, of course, meant he wasn't human. Which caused Naolin to put pressure on the sword he was holding on Garrett's chest, if Garrett was even his name, which Naolin doubted.

The knock on the door behind Naolin startled him. He reflexively turned his head the slightest bit, taking his eyes off of the scientist for a split second. When he looked back, he saw nothing but a skull where the man's face had once been. Hollow eyes stared back at him. Before he could react, Naolin was flying across the room and into tables and chairs.

He was on his feet in seconds, ignoring the staggering pain he felt all over his body, knowing those outside had no idea what was coming. The monster was already out the door. He sprinted after it, heading straight next door. In his haste, he nearly slipped on the wet floor, but caught himself. Inside, there was a short hallway similar to the first two rooms they'd been in. As he reached the end of it, he saw the white-robed creature toss Evan aside from behind, as if the knight weighed nothing at all. Evan had already used at least one spell on the turtles, and three of them were moving toward him. Julius had a few friends of his own, and as he turned to leave the room, he saw the new threat and stopped dead in his tracks. He took only a moment to survey the scene, then hit his wand on the floor. Shards of ice erupted all along the floor from Julius to the monster, enclosing it in a mountain of ice. He ran past the frozen creature, turned back long enough to cast another spell, this time on Evan, and headed toward Naolin. Naolin turned and hurried out of the room, not wanting to be caught between Julius and his new buddies.

As he quickly walked by, Julius warned, "Neither the _frost diver _on the Wanderer demon, nor the _safety wall_ on Evan will last extremely long."

Naolin ran back into the room. The turtles, which were, not surprisingly, larger than Garrett had indicated they'd be, were attacking Evan with some sort of long, red vines extending from their shells. Naolin made a note of the fact that Evan's face was out of the water, and he was indeed breathing. Fortunately, the safety wall still held, and Evan, while unconscious and quite soaked, was still safe.

"Naolin!" he heard from behind him. He turned and saw Missy rushing toward him, towing her cart. She pulled the potions out of her cart and handed them to him. "Make sure you shut the door behind me."

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "What are you going to do, Missy?"

She was picking up large pieces of wall from the floor and throwing them into her cart.

"Missy?"

"Just make sure they can't get back in here."

She positioned herself between the frozen Wanderer and the turtles still focused on Evan. With a yell, she spun around in a circle, hitting and knocking back everything in about a three-foot radius around her. It attracted all except one of the turtles and broke the demon out of its frozen shell. She was already running before it could quite comprehend what had just happened, but it only took a second to catch up. The turtles weren't incredibly speedy in their chase, but the Wanderer moved faster than anything Naolin had ever seen.

He wanted more than anything to follow her out and help, but the one turtle that was still attacking Evan seemed to have broken through the wall and had already sliced through his clothing and into flesh once. After he shut the door as Missy had asked him to do, he ran over to attack the beast and realized he didn't have his sword. He must have dropped it when the Wanderer threw him earlier. His eyes frantically searched the room and found Evan's sword. He picked it up and stabbed it at the turtle, feeling like an utter moron when he didn't even get past the shell on its back. His next swing punctured the flesh between the turtle's shell and its head. It reared up on its hind legs, then turned angrily to swing its tendrils at Naolin. Naolin swung the sword again, managing to slice off one of those vines. The turtle squealed in pain, and Naolin backed up a few steps.

It came at him once more with a renewed drive, but was stopped dead in its tracks by two arrows piercing its skull. It fell over on its back and contracted fully into its shell. Naolin could only guess that meant it was dead. He turned around and could hardly believe who was standing there.

"They said you needed help," the archer said. Naolin glanced behind Quinn down the hallway. "I shut the door behind me."

Behind Naolin now, Evan was starting to wake up. Naolin knelt next to him and opened one of the potion bottles.

* * *

Missy's plan had been pretty simple. Make the monsters attack her, run out into the entry room, and hide. If Naolin got the door shut behind her, she'd essentially be doing nothing more or less than Evan's part in the original strategy. She had no idea where this Wanderer demon Julius had mentioned had come from, but she knew she couldn't leave it in there with the unconscious knight. She was actually thrilled that her cart attack had worked so well, and ran as fast as she could out of the room. She'd left her cart behind, knowing that thought it didn't slow her down much, right now, she needed as much speed as she could muster.

As she stepped through the doorway and saw Julius in the corner of the room, her first thought was one of confusion, as she looked down and saw the tip of the dagger sticking out the front of her shoulder. The excruciating pain soon followed. In the next second, she was sliding across the wet floor. She connected with the far wall violently and was actually surprised to still be awake. She looked up, expecting to see the Wanderer coming toward her, but instead she saw it stopped by another block of ice. However, those turtles were indeed heading in her direction. She heard the distant sound of someone in the room yelling something. Summoning the last of her strength, she used her _hide_ ability. They immediately started heading the opposite way, and with her last thought, she hoped Julius's _safety wall_ would keep him safe.

Then her world went black.


	10. Chapter 10

Evan had drank two of the potions and still appeared to be in some pain. Naolin insisted he save the third until they were sure no one else needed it. Evan was out of immediate danger; at the very least, the bleeding had stopped. All three now stood in the hallway waiting for any kind of signal that they could leave the room. It came quickly. Naolin could hear Julius yelling loudly, which came through this door so muffled, if they hadn't been standing right there and listening for it, they probably wouldn't have heard it. It sounded like his name.

"Stay here," he quickly ordered the other two. Quinn nodded, but Evan ignored him and stepped behind him as if to follow him out. "No," he said firmly and angrily. "You're still hurt pretty badly; stay here." Amazingly, the knight complied this time.

Naolin opened the door and sloshed out into the room where Julius was. The Wanderer was once again frozen, and it appeared the turtles had all made it through the portal. He also didn't see Missy, which he took as a good sign; that clip of hers sure was handy.

"It breaks out faster every time," Julius frantically explained his reason for calling Naolin out here. "Pretty soon the spell won't even affect it."

Naolin still had Evan's sword in his hand, and he did the first thing he could think of. He walked up behind the frozen Wanderer and brought the handle of the sword down hard on the back of its head, skillfully using his own _Bash_ ability. This broke the Wanderer free of its ice prison, and it turned to face its new adversary.

For the first time since shedding its human appearance, the demon spoke with a low, guttural voice. "You. I knew I shouldn't have left you alive." It reached for a sheathed weapon, but was hit by multiple bolts of fire raining down from the ceiling. It didn't even turn around, but it did stop.

"It's too late," Naolin said to it. "Look around you. The turtles are gone. And if they're as dangerous as you say they are, even you can't bring them back."

The Wanderer growled at Naolin. It then turned to look at the corner of the room directly to Naolin's left. It laughed a deep, disturbing laugh, then moved to the portal that led up and out to the forest. And just like that, it was gone, leaving Naolin and Julius alone in the room. Naolin breathed for what felt like the first time in hours. Julius was finally safe to step out of his corner, though his safety wall was gone by now anyway. The first thing he did was close the door to the portal room, probably wanting to be sure the turtles didn't come back and surprise them.

Naolin remembered the guys in the room behind him, and then thought of the other person in the room he was in.

"Missy? I think it's safe to come out now."

Julius, who was crossing from the portal room door to the quarters door to let the other two out stopped mid-stride. "Ohh…I can't believe I forgot about that."

"What? What do you mean by--" Then he saw it. To his left, in that corner the demon had found so amusing, blood was streaming out toward his feet, mixing with the water that had pooled around the door. "Missy!" He started toward her quickly, and realized that without knowing exactly where she was, he could injure her further if he wasn't careful. He knelt down on the wet floor, dropping Evan's sword on the floor right next to him, and feeling along the floor a little at a time until he felt a hand. He followed that back to find the rest of her body, and fumbled around a little to find the clip where he'd seen her attach it to her shirt in the past. He pulled it off, and Missy appeared in front of him, unconscious. She was breathing, but bleeding badly from a wound deep in her shoulder.

By now, Julius had opened the door for Quinn and Evan to come out, and they saw what was going on.

Quinn moaned, "Oh, no," and knelt down beside Naolin. He handed him the last red potion, which Naolin readily accepted. He placed his hand behind her head to lift it up and felt something warm and wet. Pulling his hand back carefully, he confirmed what he'd already guessed. He managed to pour most of the potion into her mouth, and it was enough to stop the head wound from bleeding. But blood still streamed from her shoulder, and he was out of potion.

"Back up," he heard Julius say behind him. He turned to see the mage standing there holding a roll of bandages, the alcohol Missy had taken from the supply closet, and her homemade yellow potion. Naolin and Quinn both stood up to give Julius room.

Evan saw his sword on the floor, and bent over to pick it up. "This is why she should have just stayed hidden like she was supposed to and let us handle it."

Evan was on flat on his back before Naolin's mind even fully processed why he'd punched him. "_She_ saved your life, you--" He stopped there only because he couldn't seem to come up with just the right word to describe how much he hated this man right now.

Julius and Quinn were both staring at Evan now, but neither offered the slightest sign of sympathy for him before turning back to Missy. When Julius stepped back, she was still unconscious, but no longer bleeding. She was bandaged around the temple and across her shoulder.

"I've sterilized both wounds with alcohol; the shoulder has been stabbed clean through. I don't know how badly her head was hurt, but I'd guess from the fact that she hasn't woken up yet that we need to get her out of here immediately. I need to take care of something before we go, but be ready to move."

Naolin began to contemplate how best to get Missy's limp figure out of here. By now, enough water had reached her that the dampness was beginning to creep over all of her clothing. He looked at Quinn. "Run and grab a blanket out of that supply closet. And let the poring out."

Quinn nodded and rushed off. Julius jogged into the lab. There were a few sparks and flashes of light, and the room went dark. As the mage reemerged, Naolin saw an orange glow behind him, and realized he'd set the room on fire.

"I never want to see this information found. It can burn until the water breaks through that _safety wall, _and then all of this horrible research will just be ashes washed out to sea."

Quinn was back now, with a large, thick, gray blanket in his arms. He handed it to Naolin, then helped him wrap Missy in the blanket, after which Naolin picked her up into his arms. He turned around to see the others looking at him.

"All set?" Julius asked.

"My sword. I dropped it in the mess hall earlier," Naolin remembered.

"I'll get it," Julius offered.

"Anything I can do to help?" Evan inquired quietly. He was standing with his arms crossed sullenly, his body language clearly showing no such desire to help.

"Pull the cart," Naolin stated flatly, pointing over to where it was sitting, with Beanbag in place.

Sword back in its sheath, Naolin followed Julius through the portal. Quinn was behind him, and Evan brought up the rear, dragging the poring residence.

They'd decided to avoid the Dragon Tail if at all possible, if it was still hanging around. No one had seen it in either of the trips they'd made back out here during the course of the events below, but they knew it was better to be prepared. By the time Naolin stepped into the shack, Julius had already cast his _Sight_ spell, so there was light in the small space.

It was dark outside by now. Naolin had no idea so much time had passed, but recalling the events even before finding this awful place, he fully remembered just how long of a day it had been. The moon was full and bright, which should at least keep Julius from having to keep his spell running the whole trip back. They decided with minimal discussion to head for Alberta. It should be due east, Julius was certain now. And heading north back through the forest was not an option anyone, even Evan, wanted to pursue. Though there would never be a single new wolf released into the woods, there could still be dozens more that would have to be dealt with.

They'd been walking no more than ten minutes when Julius slowed down ahead of the rest of them. All Naolin could think was, _No, not now! We can't fight like this._ Julius was the only one of the five who hadn't been injured at some point today. Naolin had strength to fight still, but his desire not to was stronger than he'd ever felt. The mage started moving again.

"What was that about?" Quinn asked quietly, most likely not wanting to bring anything that might be out there to their position.

After walking a few yards, Julius stopped again, and beckoned them all over. He was looking down at the ground at a small, unmoving figure. It was the Dragon Tail. Or at least half of it. The other half was a few feet away.

"I'd say our Wanderer friend beat a hasty retreat this way," Julius guessed.

Evan's eyes started to search the sparse trees surrounding them now, with his hand on his sword. Quinn reached for his bow, but didn't pull it fully out.

"I don't think he's going to attack us now," Naolin said. "If he wanted to kill us, he would have when we were separated down there. I have a feeling he is long gone."

"I agree," Julius nodded.

They continued on, all still watching alertly for any trouble. When they began to see docile creatures such as lunatics and porings hopping around in the grass, they all relaxed considerably.

As the town wall came into view, all four pairs of legs picked up speed. Naolin was beginning to feel the injuries he'd sustained, all the way back to the twisted ankle he'd nearly forgotten about. Once again, he pushed the pain away; it was easier to do so now than it had been all day. He shifted the body in his arms a bit and walked even faster toward Alberta.

* * *

EPILOGUE 

The sunrise was the most beautiful Missy Kay had ever seen. The endless array of colors reflected in the infinity of the ocean appeared to go on forever. The horrors of the previous night only served to heighten Missy's appreciation of this event. She knew she'd been steps away from never experiencing this again.

Her friends had rushed into town, hoping to find her a healer out on the streets in the dark. It was fortunate that they'd made it back before the hour was very late, or they'd likely not have found the kind priest who was out browsing the street vendors' wares.

Missy had woken up on a bench, looking up at the night sky. The priest had been gracious enough to heal everyone in their party, some needing it more than others. Evan left first, heading for the inn for the night. Julius quickly excused himself, promising to return, and followed Evan. Quinn had stood in front of the bench Missy still sat on awkwardly for a few minutes before thanking Missy for her kind attitude toward him throughout the day, after which he headed in the same direction as the others.

Left alone now, Naolin had sat on the bench next to Missy and filled her in briefly on some of what had happened after she'd passed out. He told her of how Quinn seemed to gain a lot of confidence after the events underground, and how he knew some of that could be attributed to her.

"You kept him alive, at least," he'd said. "I don't think he really expected to survive."

Julius had returned as he'd promised, and told Missy and Naolin that he was going to buy a warp to Payon from the priest who'd healed them. "I know it's getting late, but I imagine someone will be awake there. After all, they have no idea what we've done tonight. I wonder what the status is of the group we started out with last night."

Missy had all but forgotten about their initial reason for starting on this journey today. It seemed like so long ago.

"I thought you'd like to know," Julius had said to Missy before leaving "I talked to Evan. I think his attitude toward you will be a bit different now; I told him what you did to save his life while he was knocked out."

Missy had groaned. "Don't remind me."

To that, Julius had smiled and waved goodbye.

"Serves you right for trying to be a hero," Naolin had said to her.

"Trust me," she'd replied. "Next time, you can have that role."

Now, standing on the edge of the docks, looking out over the ocean, Missy shivered as she thought about the beasts she knew were out there somewhere. She was trying not to think about the demon that was somewhere in the world behind her.

She sat down on the wood planks, hanging her legs over the edge. For now, she was happy to just be alive and safe, and enjoying the quiet morning.

"You're up early," a voice behind her startled her. Naolin sat down next to her on the dock.

"Good morning," she smiled at him.

He returned the smile. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Wonderful."

"Are you sure? You really scared me yesterday."

She tilted her head and searched his face. It was times like this she wished she knew if he was being sincere or merely polite. She simply replied, "The priest's heal was thorough. Not even a scar."

He nodded distantly. There was her answer. She sighed and stood up abruptly. "Shall we be on our way then?"

"Missy, wait." He didn't look up at her, instead he stared out at the water. He absently combed a stray lock of hair out of his eyes with his hand. "Sit down, please." She sat.

He finally looked at her. "There's something I need to tell you."

THE END 


End file.
